is impossible to please him :" and it has been determined by our church, in her thirteenth article, that` works done before the grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, insomuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ. It is faith working by love which renders those works pleasant to God, that done upon any other motive would be highly displeasing to him.

Let these arguments suffice for the proof of the first point. It appears from their evidence, that the love of our neighbour arises from the love of God. There is no other foundation for it. You must keep the duties of the first table, before you can keep those of the second. The connexion between them is inseparable. Unless a man first has the love of God in his heart, he cannot have any true love for his neighbour. He cannot love him at all, and much less in the perfect manner here required-thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. And this leads me to speak of the nature and extent of the second commandment under my second general head.

The text requires a very exalted and refined degree of brotherly love. It commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves, with the same strength, the same constancy of affection for no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it, and cherisheth it; so should he nourish and cherish his neighbour in all good things. Whatever good he wisheth to himself, the same should he wish to his neighbour; and whatever evil he would have kept off from himself, the same should he endeavour to keep off from his neighbour; and he should in both these respects exert himself for his neighbour as much as for himself. But who are required thus to love their neighbour? The law reaches to all men, and to all cases. The same authority which enjoins the perfect love of God, enjoins also the perfect love of our neighbour; and can any fallen man keep these commandments? No; while he is in his natural state it is impossible. We have before proved, that he can neither love God

nor his neighbour, until his affections be changed, and vicious self love be taken out of his heart. But when grace has made him a new creature, when his understanding is enlightened, his will is rightly disposed, and his heart is under the influence of divine love, then the text speaks to this man, and says, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The same grace which led thee to love thyself aright, will operate with eqnal force in the love of thy neighbour, and will show itself in every work and labour of love.

It is evident then that the duty is of great extent. The object on whom it is to be exercised is mankind in general; for every one is our neighbour who stands related to us in the common bonds of humanity. If he be a heathen, a Turk, or a Jew, he is nevertheless bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. Nay, if he be our enemy, yet still he is our neighbour; we are of one family, and have one Father, and therefore his hatred to us should not stop the current of our love to him, as our Lord has taught us in the tenth chapter of St. Luke. A certain lawyer asked him, who is my neighbour? Jesus answered him in a parable. The Jews and the Samaritans were at such great variance that they would not even have any dealings with one another: and a certain man, in going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. A priest and a Levite saw their countryman in this distress, but passed by without giving him any help, and afterwards a Samaritan came to the place where he was, and when he saw him he had compassion on him, and gave him all the assistance in his power. Which now of these three, says Christ, was neighbour to him that fell among the thieves? The lawyer answered, he that had mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, go, and do thou likewise. Go, and imitate the Samaritan. Learn of him to look upon all men, even thine enemies, as thy neighbours, and love them, and do good to them, as he did. Thus it is plain, from our Lord's

explanation of the word neighbour, that we ought to extend our love to all men, and also to all cases. It is to reach to the inmost desires of the heart. The love of God being shed abroad there will take the command of the affections, and when love is on the throne, reigning in the heart, it will sweetly incline and mightily enable the other faculties to obey its dictates. Love will not dwell in the same heart with selfishness and hatred, but will oppose and subdue them, in order to make room for brotherly love; and when this comes and dwells in the heart, the man is thereby always disposed to think and speak and act for the good of his neighbour. He has in him an abiding principle of love, which, according to what is written," thinketh no evil." Love works first upon the thoughts of the heart, from whence all the words and actions spring. It infuses its gracious influences into the root, that the sap and juices, communicated from thence, may partake of its nature, and that whatever grows upon this stem may be the fruit of love. That heart love which thinketh no evil will speak none: for as out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, so love being in the heart will show itself in the tongue, and will not speak evil of its neighbour : nor can love do him any harm-" Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, (Rom. xiii. 10,) therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." To love our neighbour as ourselves is the fulfilling of the law of the second table, which they that have the love of God in their hearts endeavour to keep; not to merit heaven, for that was the purchase of Christ's blood; but they are kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven them, and they walk in love, as Christ hath also done with them.

This is the nature and extent of brotherly love. It springs from the love of God, and is guided and influenced by it. Whatever the love of God teaches a man to do for his own good, brotherly love will put him upon doing the same for the good of others; and

not only of his particular friends and relations, but also of mankind-yea, of his very enemies; even for them brotherly love has its good wishes, and its good offices. It would not entertain an injurious thought of its neighbour, nor speak a word to his prejudice, nor do any thing to his hurt. Its constant breathings are, as I have opportunity I would do good unto all men. And is this, my brethren, the language of every one of your hearts? Have you a principle of brotherly love actuating and influencing every thought, and word, and work? Examine yourselves closely upon this point. It may help to show you clearly the state of your souls: for this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God loveth his brother also. If your love to God be from a right motive, and to a right end, it will work in all the kind offices of brotherly love. If you fail in these, you certainly fail first in your love to God: for these are the streams which flow from the fountain, and they could not fail, unless the fountain ceased to supply them. There is a want of the love of God in the heart when there is a want of any of the good offices of brotherly love in the life. Search and see if this be not your case; and if it be, look up to God, and entreat him to direct your hearts into his love, that you may hear with profit what shall be said under my

Third general head, concerning the scripture method of enabling us to keep this commandment. Man has no generous principle in him by nature. Vicious self love directs and governs all his views and actions, and therefore he must be changed and renewed in the spirit of his mind, before brotherly love can have any place in his heart. The scripture treats largely of this great change, and ascribes the whole of it to the Spirit of God. He enlightens the understanding, and convinces the sinner of his guilt and of his danger: then he attacks the stubborn self will, and makes the sinner feel, that if he follows his own will he must unavoidably perish, and that everlastingly: and he also shows him the horrid rebellion of his heart,

whose affections are all apostates from God, having set up the creature and served it in the place of the Creator. The sinner becomes deeply sensible of his guilt and of his misery, and is made earnestly to wish and to pray for his deliverance: and when the Lord has thoroughly humbled him, and by various ways and means has convinced him of his own utter helplessness, then he enables him to believe to the saving of his soul. He finds himself at peace with God, through the righteousness of the Lord Christ, on which he can rely for his acceptance and pardon, and therefore he loves God, who has first so exceedingly loved him, and he proves, by his unfeigned love to the brethren, that this love of God is in his heart; for being there it will produce the kind dispositions, and will draw forth the good offices of brotherly love. In this way grace overcomes the selfishness of nature, and anger, wrath, malice, hatred, and the other unsociable tempers of the old man, are subdued, and the new man puts on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering. These are sanctified affections in him, because they are the genuine fruits of that faith which worketh by love.This is the scripture method of attaining brotherly love. It cannot be attained but by the grace of God: for the established rule is, "ye are taught of God to love one another." It is not from human, but from divine teaching. Brotherly love is not learned in the schools of moral philosophy. The greatest professors of ethics may write pretty systems, and read lectures upon them to their pupils, and perhaps they may explain to them something about brotherly love, but they can place none of it in the heart. Christ alone can do that. He is the great teacher of brotherly love, and it is in his school only where men can learn it practically. He teaches his disciples first their want of it, and when he gives them his love, and sheds it abroad in their hearts, then also he gives them the love of the brethren; as it is written, I. John, iv. 7, "beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one