doubtless capable also of admiring and adoring the infinitely superior benevolence of our Creator, abstracted from the thought of our own sharing in it; as indeed we surely all of us love him for his bounty to the rest of the world, as well as to ourselves. But then this mere disinterested affection, though natural to our hearts, is very weak and languid there, in the midst of so many other passions and appetites as our condition upon earth makes necessary for us, and the original depravity and superadded evil customs of mankind have so unhappily strengthened and perverted. Our hearts are pre-engaged and filled up, for the most part, with temporal, it is well if not with criminal, objects of desire, long before we come seriously to reflect on the spiritual and truly valuable one. Nor, when we do, can mere speculative meditation upon that be expected to prevail over the importunate calls which we have to other attentions: but experience of his bounty must be added, to invigorate esteem by gratitude. And plentifully it is added by our heavenly Father in his works of nature and of grace. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders which he doth for the children of men*; that they would love him because he first loved us! But benefits received are soon forgotten: and whatever thankful warmth they may raise, while the relish of them is fresh and lively, cools and flattens; till, by long possession, we grow apt to think every thing that we enjoy our due ; and feel nothing in relation to it but discontent, if any part is taken away or diminished. Knowing this, our indulgent Maker, that he may attract us more powerfully to himself, hath joined with the experience of present mercies, the hope of unspeakably † 1 John iv. 19. * Psalm cvii. 21. greater to come: and blessed is he whose hope is in the Lord his God*. For though it be a less noble, because more selfish, passion, yet, in the present case, it partakes considerably of something moral and religious. Any real desire of heavenly bliss must imply a degree of love, both to virtue and holiness, in which it will chiefly consist, and to that holy Being who hath promised to bestow it. But alas! worldly and sinful attachments debase men's natures, that they cannot aspire to, cannot earnestly wish for, any thing great and excellent. And therefore the wise Ruler of the world hath enforced his laws by the only remaining motive, fear: that they, whom nothing better will influence, may at least be influenced by considering the present sufferings and future misery, awaiting wickedness: a low and slavish inducement, it must be owned; but however so far a good sign in him who acts upon it, as it shews him not to be inflexibly obstinate in what is evil. And, remote as it may seem from that generous flame which our Maker seeks to kindle in our breasts, yet the son of Sirach hath justly observed that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of his love. Fear, in the first place, can with peculiar efficacy restrain the outward actions of men, and keep them from adding strength to bad inclinations by indulgence. Fear, especially of punishment which they know they deserve, can make their vices become tasteless and unpleasant to them. And when once they are brought to avoid forbidden gratifications as Psalm cxlvi. 4. + Ecclus. xxv. 12. See Philo de Abrahamo, p. 19. ed. Mangey and a large Quotation from Maimonides, in Humphrey's Diss. on the Resurrection, prefixed to his Translation of Athenagoras. 244 hurtful, there is a fair prospect, that not only virtuous behaviour will recommend itself, as almost every thing doth, by custom, but that also its intrinsic fitness and beauty will come to be perceived, and awaken suitable affections. Or, if this be already the case, and yet vehement temptations hurry men on to sin; (a very common and very pitiable condition) fear may be so impressed on the heart from above, as to overbalance these; free the rational principle from the oppression under which it labours, and enable it to resume its rightful dominion. Then the conduct will be reformed, the view of things gradually brighten, and the more ingenuous affections of hope and gratitude, and unmixed love, spring up and flourish; till at length our duty and our Maker, which at first we regarded unwillingly, on mere compulsion, will no longer have need of any other force than their own native attraction, to regulate every thought of our souls, and every action of our lives. Thus then appears the wisdom and the goodness of those various methods which God hath taken to unite us finally to himself. He hath planted in our hearts that pure and disinterested esteem and love of moral perfection, which leads directly to the esteem and love of him above all; and without which we should not have been susceptible of genuine piety and virtue. But having placed us, with a nature prone to go wrong, in a world full of enticements, he hath not left us to the guidance of this one principle, which though the best in itself, would have proved insufficient for our direction; but hath kindly put us under the tutorage of subordinate affections, to train us up in the way wherein we should lightened enough to approve the things that are exgo*, till we become en * Prov. xxii. 6. cellent*, and animated enough to pursue them for their own sakes. Let us therefore give up ourselves without scruple to the influence of every motive to our duty, which reason or Scripture sets before us, of pleasure or terror, of this world or the next †, and by reading, meditation and prayer, imprint them strongly on our minds; nor be at all dejected, though perhaps as yet the least worthy of them hath the largest share in our obedience; as probably it hath for a time in that which most children pay to their earthly parents, for whose persons and precepts, notwithstanding, they acquire, by insensible steps, the most dutiful and tender esteem. But whoever would strengthen within himself this blessed disposition towards God, must frequently recollect and inculcate the conviction, that other incitements are but the means, and love the end of the commandment: that we improve and grow inwardly better under the heavenly discipline, only in proportion as we advance in unfeigned affection, and are transformed by it into real likeness to the supreme good. Open your hearts therefore to feel his goodness towards yourselves, and imitate it towards your brethren. For God is love: and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him§. Phil. i. 10. + לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ובמצוות אפילו שלא לשמן שמתוך Sota, fol. 22. col. 2. ap. Buxt. Floril. p. 156. ‡ 1 Tim. i. 5. b na pub abu § 1 John iv. 16. SERMON XVI. MATTH. XXII. 39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. THIS is the latter part of our Saviour's answer to the question, Which is the great commandment in the law? He had already answered sufficiently, by saying, it was the love of God. But most of the Jews before whom he spoke, thought the best proof of their fulfilling that duty was a scrupulous exactness in some, or all of the ceremonial precepts that God had enjoined them. And on the merit of this, they indulged themselves in great hardness of heart, even towards their brethren of the same religion; and in utter disregard, if not implacable hatred, of all who were of a different religion, perhaps of a different sect only. So that, if he had carried his reply no further, his hearers, who had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge*, would in all probability have understood him according to their own preconceived notions, and never have suspected him of designing to condemn their superstition and uncharitableness. Therefore he immediately subjoins, from the express words of Moses†, another commandment, which, if they misinterpreted the first, might shew them their mistake; and if they did not, would plainly appear, to any considerate person, like unto it in its nature, and second in its dignity and use; Thou shalt Rom. x. 2. Lev. xix. 18. |