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Nature offereth herself, and her inexhaustible SERM. XXII. store of appearances to our contemplation; we may, without any harm, and with much delight, survey her rich varieties, examine her proceedings, pierce into her secrets. Every kind of animals, of plants, of minerals, of meteors presenteth matter, wherewith innocently, pleasantly, and profitably to entertain our minds. There are many noble sciences, by applying our minds to the study whereof, we may not only divert them, but improve and cultivate them: the histories of ages past, or relations concerning foreign countries, wherein the manners of men are described, and their actions reported, may afford us useful pleasure and pastime; thereby we may learn as much, and understand the world as well, as by the most curious inquiry into the present actions of men; there we may observe, we may scan, we may tax the proceedings of whom we please, without any danger or offence: there are extant numberless books, wherein the wisest and most ingenious of men have laid open their hearts, and exposed their most secret cogitations unto us; in pursuing them we may sufficiently busy ourselves, and let our idle hours pass gratefully; we may meddle with ourselves, studying our own dispositions, examining our principles and purposes, reflecting on our thoughts, words, and actions; striving thoroughly to understand ourselves; to do this we have an unquestionable right, and by it we shall obtain vast benefit, much greater than we can hope to get by puddering in the designs or doings of others. Pragmaticalness then, as it is very dangerous and troublesome, so it is perfectly needless; it is a kind of

SERM. idleness, but of all idleness the most unreasonable": XXII. it is at least worse than idleness, in St. Gregory Nazianzen's opinion. For, I had rather, said he, be idle more than I should, than over-busy". Other considerations might be added; but these, I hope, may be sufficient to restrain this practice, so unprofitable and uneasy to ourselves, and, for the most part, so injurious and troublesome to others.

Now the God of peace make us perfect in every good word and work, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

ο Ανδρὶ Λυδῷ πράγματα οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλ ̓ αὐτὸς ἐξελθὼν ἐπρίατο. Adag apud Suidam.

4 Αργὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος, ἢ περίεργος δέχομαι. Greg. Naz Or. 26.

SERMON XXIII.

OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

MATTH. Xxii. 37.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.

XXIII.

X. 12.

αὐτόν.

λή.

THIS text is produced by our Saviour out of SERM. Moses's law in answer to a question, wherewith a learned Pharisee thought to pose or puzzle him; Deut. vi. 5. the question was, Which was the great and first g commandment in the Law? a question which, it givroseems, had been examined, and determined among the doctors, in the schools of those days, (for in St. Luke, Luke x. 27. to the like question intimated by our Saviour, another lawyer readily yields the same answer, and is therefore commended by our Saviour, with a recte respondisti, thou hast answered rightly ;) so that had our Saviour answered otherwise, he had, we may suppose, been taxed of ignorance and unskilfulness, perhaps also of error and heterodoxy; to convict him of which seems to have been the design of this Jewish trier or tempter (for he is said to ask meιpáçwv avτòv, trying, or tempting, him.) But our Saviour defeats his captious intent, by answering, not only according to truth and the reason of the thing, but agreeably to the doctrine then current, and as the lawyer himself out of his memory and learning would have resolved it and no wonder, since common sense dic

SERM. tates, that the law enjoining sincere and entire love XXIII. toward God is necessarily the first and chief, or the

most fundamental law of all religion; for that whosoever doth believe the being of God, according to the most common notion that name bears, must needs discern himself obliged first and chiefly to perform those acts of mind and will toward him, which most true and earnest love do imply: different expressions of love may be prescribed, peculiar grounds of love may be declared in several ways of religion; but in the general and main substance of the duty all will conspire, all will acknowledge readily, that it is love we chiefly owe to God; the duty which he may most justly require of us, and which will be most acceptable to him. It was then indeed the great commandment of the old (or rather of the young and less perfect) religion of the Jews, and it is no less of the more adult and improved religion which the Son of God did institute and teach: the difference only is, that Christianity declares more fully how we should exercise it; and more highly engages us to observe it; requires more proper and more substantial expressions thereof; extends our obligation as to the matter, and intends it as to the degree thereof: for as it represents Almighty God in his nature and in his doings more lovely than any other way of religion, either natural or instituted, hath done, or could do; so it proportionably raises our obligation to love him: it is, as 1 Tim. i. 5. St. Paul speaketh, rò Téλos τñs πapayyedías, the last drift, or the supreme pitch of the evangelical profession, and institution, to love; to love God first, Coloss. iii. and then our neighbour out of a pure heart, and good conscience, and faith unfeigned: it is the

14.

Galat.v.22.

9, 10.

bond, or knot of that perfection which the Gospel SERM. enjoins us to aspire to: it is the first and principal XXIII. of those goodly fruits, which the Holy Spirit of Matt. v. 48. Christ produceth in good Christians. It is therefore plainly with us also the great commandment and chief duty; chiefly great in its extent, in its worth, in its efficacy, and influence: most great it is, in that it doth (eminently at least, or virtually) contain all other laws and duties of piety; they being all as branches making up its body, or growing out of it as their root. St. Paul saith of the love toward our Rom. xiii. neighbour, that it is λpwμa To vóμov, a full performance of the laws concerning him; and that all Gal. v. 14. commandments, åvukepadaioõvtai, are recapitulated, or summed up in this one saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: and by like, or greater reason are all the duties of piety comprised in the love of God; which is the chief of those two hinges, upon which, as our Saviour here subjoins, the Matt. xxii. whole law and the prophets do hang. So great is this duty in extent: and it is no less in proper worth; both as it immediately respects the most excellent and most necessary performances of duty, (employing our highest faculties in their best operations,) and as it imparts virtue and value to all other acts of duty for no sacrifice is acceptable, which is Levit. ii.13. not kindled by this heavenly fire; no offering sweet and pure, which is not seasoned by this holy salt; no action is truly good or commendable, which is not conjoined with, or doth not proceed from the love of God; that is not performed with a design to please God, or, at least, with an opinion that we shall do so thereby. If a man perform any good work not out of love to God, but from any other principle, or

40.

ix.24. xx.I.

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