LECTURE XXI.

Quest. What do'st thou chiefly Learn by these. Commandments?

Anfw. I learn two things, my Duty towards Sod, and my Duty towards my Neighbour. Quelt. What is thy Duty towards God?

Antw. y Duty towards God, is to believe in him, to Fear him, and to Love him with all my heart, with all my ind, with all my Soul, and with all my Strength; to WOZthip him, to give him thanks, to put my whole Truft in him, to call upon him, to honour his holy Name and his Wow, and tq serve him tru ip all the Days of my Life.

Having given you a particular Expofition of the Ten

Commandments, we are now come to confider the general Sum and Subftance of them, together with the Senfe of the Church, as to the pofitive Duties, which are refpectively requir'd in them. And this will for ther help us in the Examination of our own Hearts ande Confciences, that we may the better judge of our felves, how Conformable or Repugnant we have been to the Law of God, and the Rules of our Duty, in our Lives and Actions.

Now the Commandments, (as I have said) are usually divided into two parts, or the First and Second Table. The Firft Table, confifting of Four Precepts, con. tains our Duty towards God. The Second Table, confifting of Six Precepts, contains our Duty, towards our Neighbour Of the firft of thefe at this time.

Now as concerning the First Table, containing our Duty towards God, the general Sum and Subftance of it is, To love the Lord our God with all our Heart, with all our Mind, with all our Soul, and with all our

Strength.

Strength. Where the Multiplicity of Expreffions, thews the Neceffity of the Duty of loving God with all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls, and preferring his Interest and Service before every thing in the World befides. 'But in treating of the feveral Particulars hereafter mention'd, it will be convenient to reduce them to the respective Precepts to which they belong. And therefore,

In the First Commandment; we are requir'd to believe in God, to Fear him, and to Love him above all.

1. We are to Believe in him. For he that cometh to God (in a way of Religious Worship) must believe, not only that he is, but also that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently feek him, Heb. 11. 6. But if we look abroad into the World, how many Practical Atheists are there, who like the Fool in the Pfalmift, fay in their Hearts, and declare in their Actions that there is no God? Pfal. 14. 1. Much lefs do they think that he will either Reward them that Serve him, or Punish thofe that Sin against him, or elfe certainly they would lead other kind of Lives than most of them generally do. And yet if one should ask them, Whether they believe in God or no? They would be ready enough to an fwer, yes; with Scorn and Indignation against any that thould put the Queftion. But then they muft certainly entertain very unworthy Thoughts of God, and think him altogether fuch a one as themselves, or else they could never live as they do.

2. We are to Fear him, and to fhew it by Obeying his Will, and endeavouring to please him in all things, and avoiding all things that may offend him. But how little of this true Fear of God is to be found in the generality of People, who make no Confcience of breaking his Commandments every Day, but rufh into Sin as 1be Horfe rufheth into the Battle, without any Fear or Apprehenfion of the dreadful Judgments which he has fo often and fo feverely denounc'd against thofe that

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tranfgrefs his known Laws, and which they fo often fee put in Execution against incorrigible Offendors! 3. We are to love him, and to thew it by keeping his Commandments. For this is the Love of God (faith the Apostle, that is, this is a certain Argument and Evidence of it) that we keep his Commandments, 1 John 5. 3. And our Saviour himself tells us, Foba 14. 21. He that bath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. But if this be the Criterion to judge of Men's Love to God, how little of it will be found in the World? To please themfelves, and indulge their Senfual Appetites, and gratifie their vain Imaginations,is all that many People mind: But to please God, or to Serve him and keep his Commandments, is the least part of their Care. And yet if we should ask any of them, if they do not Love God? They would take it very ill to have it call'd into Queftion. But we may fay to them, as Delilah did to Sampson, Judg. 16. 15. How can they fay, they love God, when their Heart is not with him? When they feldom or never think of him, or defire to have any Communion with him? But there is another Mark to try our Love to God, no lefs needful to be obferv'd, and yet as little pratis'd as the other, and that is, by our Love to our Brethren. For (as St. John fays) If a Man fay, I love God, and hateth his Brother, he is a Liar: For be that loveth not his Brother, whom he hath feen; how can be love God, whom he hath not feen? And this Commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his Brother alfo, 1 John 4. 20, 21. And tho' fome may pretend to evade the force of this Argument, by faying, they hate none, but are in Charity with all Men; yet we may fay with the fame Apoftle, Chap. 3 17. He that hath this World's Goods, and feeth his Brother in need, and shutteth up his Bowels of Compaffion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him?

In

In the Second Commandment, we are requir'd to WorShip God, and that not only with outward Reverence, but with inward Devotion. But how many will pretend to come to Worship, and Bow down, and Kneel be. fore the Lord their Maker; when their light and care. lefs Behaviour in the Service of God, gives one too much caufe to fufpe&t that they are wanting in that inward Adoration which God requires, and without which the other is only a Mocking of him? How many are like thofe of whom our Bleffed Saviour complains, Matth. 15. 8. Who draw nigh unto God with their Mouths, and bonour him with their Lips, while their Hearts are far from him? How many will come to Church, and fay their Prayers, when perhaps they feldom fo much as think where they are, or what they are about? As if it would avail 'em any thing to bring their Bodies to the Church, and leave their Souls at home! Of fuch it may be faid, as the Spartan in Plutarch did of the dead Body, which he vainly endeavour'd to ered and make it ftand upright [Νή Δία ἔνδον τι εἶναι Ai.] There wants fomething within, without which, all their Services are but dead Formalites, and not that living Sacrifice, which alone is acceptable to God, Rom. 12. 1. But in particular,

1. We are to Praise him, and to give him Thanks for all his Good nefs and Loving-kindnefs towards us. This is one great part of our Duty here, and will be our chief Employment hereafter. And this is daily perform'd by all his other Creatures, according to their feveral ways of expreffing it. Only Man who is the most oblig'd, is the moft Ingrateful. All his Works praise him, and then furely his Saints should bless him, Pfal. 145. 10. We fhould blefs him for our Creation, Prefervation, and all the Bleffings of this Life; but above all for bis ineftimable Love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jefus Chrift; for the Means of Grace, and for the Hope of Gury. We should give

him Thanks for all the particular Merciès he has from time to time bestow'd upon us. And we are to shew our Thankfulness, not only with our Lips, but in our Lives, by giving up our felves to his Service, and walking before him in Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of our Life. But how many Bleffings do we daily enjoy, without ever looking up to God the Author and Giver of them? How few do lift up their Hearts in Thankfulness to God for all his Goodness and Bounty towards them? And how unsuitable Returns do the generality of People make for all their undeferved Mercies which they daily receive at his hands?

2. We are to call upon him by frequent and earneft Prayer, for all that we may ftand in need of, either for this Life, or a better, Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by Prayer, and Supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your Requests be made known unto God. But alas! how many of thofe that are called Chriftians, do yet live like the Heathens that know not God, nor call upon his Name? unlefs it be in their fre quent Oaths and Imprecations, and by thefe God muft be call'd upon at every turn to witnefs to every Trifle. Or elfe in fome great Affliction or eminent Danger, and then they are apt to think, a [God bless me] or a [Lord have mercy on me] fufficient to procure Help and Deli verance, tho' perhaps, during their Profperity, God was not in all their Thoughts, and when the Danger is once over, they will never think of him more.

3. We are to put our whole Truft in him, and to depend upon him for all that we have or exped in this World. But how many are rather apt to truft in their Wit and Policy, their Wealth and Riches, their Power and Authority, their Credit and Reputation, their Friends and Relations, or indeed in any thing rather than in God! And if these promife fair, they can go on chearfully with their Bufinefs; but if thefe fail, they are dejected and caft down, as deftitute of all Help and Relief. As if God was tied to Means, and could do nothing