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SERM.time. So that whosoever bath, that is, knows IX. and loves the fon, the fame bath the father alfo,

It is apparent likewise that some of the principal motives of affection, proposed in scripture, to God, and to his fon, are the fame. The perfections of power, wisdom, holiness, and goodness are afcribed to both, The works that the father doth, the fame doth the fon likewife. The worlds were made by him, and in him all things confift. He works with the father hitherto, in the pro vidential care, and government of the world. If the divine attribute of perfect holiness is the moft worthy of our esteem and imita→ tion, our Lord Jefus Chrift is alfa holy, harmless, undefiled, and feparate from fin ners, and has given us a most complete pattern of all amiable virtue, that we fhould follow his fteps. If the love of God ma nifested to us, not only by the gifts of his providence, but especially by the benefit of our redemption, be an argument for our gratitude to him, the fame confideration fhould excite our love to Chrift; for he j loved us, and gave himself for us, to redeem us from all our iniquity.

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And as moral excellence is the infepara- SEKM. ble character of the Deity, fo that it is abfurd to pretend that we love him without loving it; that we love the holiest and best of all Beings, without loving holiness and goodness itself; the fame is true concerning our Saviour, whom the fcripture always represents, as therefore altogether lovely, because he is altogether holy, and most compaffionate to finners, intending their happiness by faving them from their fins. Indeed, the idea which the gofpel principally intends to give us of him, is that of the image of the invifible God, the brightnefs of the divine glory, as manifefting in the most conspicuous manner the moral perfections, the effential purity, and infinite goodnefs of the Deity. And if we confider the humiliations, the fufferings and death of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which indeed contain powerful motives to love him, it is the greatest abfurdity, and the highest dishonour to him, to separate these from what he intended to accomplish by them, namely the restoring and promoting true holiness and virtue among men. * He gave himself for us, to redeem us from all our iniquities,

* Titus ii. 14.

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SERM.and to purify unto himself a peculiar people IX. zealous of good works : He loved his

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church, and gave himself for it; that he might fanctify and cleanfe it, with the washing of water, by the word; that he might prefent it unto himself a glorious church, not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish*.

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Upon the whole then, it is evident that the love of Chrift, or the love of God, manifeftly contains in it the love of righteousness and goodness, effentially importing a difpofition to practise it; and if we mean any thing else separate from, and unconnected with this, we certainly deceive ourselves. Some feem to place it in an unintelligent zeal and warmth of imagination, without confidering the true character of the object; expreffing itself by an intemperate heat for fpeculative notions and external circumftances, fuppofed to belong to the religion of Chrift, with violence against all, who are differently minded concerning them. But, furely a rational love to any perfon, is founded on juft apprehenfions of his real character, and it shows itself by a studious imitation of him, and a conftant endeavour

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to please him in all things. If an illuftrious SER M. character be known to us only by description; IX. and yet more especially, if it falls within your own obfervation and acquaintance, the admiration of it naturally inclines us, as far as we can, to form ourselves upon the fame model. And if he is loved as a good man, with whom we have to do in any relation, we will undoubtedly endeavour to recommend ourselves to his approbation, in our whole behaviour. This is the love which our Lord Jefus Chrift requires of all his difciples, that they may be worthy of him, and this affection in a higher degree than is allowed to father, mother, brother, fifter, any other person, or any other thing in this world.

Now, from all that has been faid, the truth of our Saviour's declaration in the text fufficiently appears; that without fuch love to him, as has been described, greater love than we have to father, mother, or any thing in life, yea, than to life itself, we cannot be worthy of him, or be his fincere difciples. Indeed the declaration itself is enough to fatisfy us in this point. For fince Jefus Chrift is the author of christianity, it is he only who must fix the terms of it.

SERM.Every man is at liberty as to his entering IX. into that profeffion: It is a voluntary act,

and he may choose for himself, whether he will do it, or not. But as to the conditions, he is not at liberty. They are established by the author in the original inftitution unalterably. But we may obferve, that whatever other representations are given us of the terms, they perfectly agree with this: And in whatever true light we take chrif tianity, it is impoffible to answer the defign of it, without coming up to what is here. required. If it be a divine religion, intended to repair the moral blemishes and defects of human nature, and restore men to innocence and virtue, that they may be qualified for.. enjoying the favour of God; How can this be accomplished without their being brought to a prevailing love of innocence and virtue, which, as I have fhown you, is loving Christ more than any thing else?

Again, let us confider that to be worthy of Christ, to be his true difciples, and obtain his acceptance, it is abfolutely neceffary that we should adhere to him inviolably, that we should hold fast the profeffion of our faith without wavering, and be fedfaft and immovable in good works: For they only who

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