mx ^j$aii$- "^fS^'-^^^ff^ \: DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Treasure "Room '^•rjii'l ^^ ' ^<:;^;':62U^ /&/0 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED; OR, Experimental Religion, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM FORMALITY ON THE ONE HAND, ANO ENTHUSIASM ON THE OTHER, SET IN A SCRIPTURAL AND RATIONAL LIGHT, 3n Una Dtscaurscs ; IN WHICH SOME or TTiE rRiycirAi. errors both of the armixiaxs and an- TINOMIANS ARE CONFUTED.. ..THE FOUNDATION AND SUPER- STRUCTURE OF THEIR DIFFERENT SCHEMES DE- MOLISH ED.... AND THE YrUTH, AS IT IS IN JESUS, EXPLAINED AND PROVED. The whole adapted to tlic weakest capacities, and designed for the estabhshmcnt, comfort, and quickening of the people of God. BY JOSEPH BELLAMY, D. D. LATE OF BETHI.EM, CONNECTICUT. VITH A PREFACE BY THE REV. MR. EDWARDS. IsATAH XXX. 21... .And tbine ears shall hear a -word behind thee, taying, thU is the way, wali ye in it, ivhen ye turn to the right hand, and 'iuben ye turn to the left. Matthew vii. 13, 14-. ...Enter ye in at the strait gate ; for ijiJe is the gate, and broad is the way that leadetb to destiuctiun, and many there be vihich go ii^tbcreat : Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the luay vihici leadetb unto life, andfeiu there be that find it. BOSTON, PRINTED.. .irSO. MORRIS-roWN, RE-PRINTED BY HENRY P.RUSSELX,, 1804. PREFACE. X HE being of GOD 13 reckoned the first, greatest, and most fundamental of all things that are the objects of knowledge or belief ; and, next to that, must be reckoned the nature of that religion which God requires of us, and must be found in us, in order to our enjoying the benefits of his fa- vor: Or rather this may be esteemed of like imiiortance with the other ; for it in. like manner concerns us to know how we may honor and please God, and be accepted of him, as it con- cerns us to know that he has a being. This is a point of infi- nite consequence to every single person ; each one having to do with God as his supreme judge, who will fix his eternal state, according as he finds him to be with or ■without true reli- gion. And this is also a point that vastly concerns the public interests of the Church of God. It is very apparent that the want of adiorough distinction ia this matter, through the defect either of sufficient discernment or cai'e, has been the chief thing that has obscured, obstructed, and brought to a stand all remarkable revivals of religion which have been since the beginning of tiie reformation ; the very chief reason why the n\ost hopeful and promising beginnings have never come to any more than beginnings ; being nipt in the bud, and soon followed with a great increase of stupidity, corrupt principles, a profane aiKl atheistical spirit, and the tri- umph of the open enemies of religion. And from hence, and from what has been so evident, from lime to time, in tliese lat- ter ages of the church, and from the small acquaintance I have with the history of preceding times, I cannot but think, tliat if the events, which have appeared from age to age, should be 274980 iv PREFACE. carefully examined and considered, it would appear that it ha» been tUus in all ages ofthe Christian Church from the beginning. They, therefore, who bring any addition of Ught to this great subject, The nature of true religion^ and its distinction from all counterfeits, should be accepted as doing the greatest possi- ble service to the Church of God. And attempts to this end ought not to be despised and discouraged, under a notion that it is but vanity and arrogance in such as are lately sprung up in an obscure part of the world, to pretend to add any thing on this subject, to the informations we have long since received from their fathers, who have lived in former times, in New- England, and more noted countries. We cannot suppose that the Church of God is already possessed of all that light, in things of this nature, that ever God intends to give it ; nor that all Satan's lurking-places have already been found out. And must we let that grand adversary alone in his devices, to en- snare and ruin the souls of men, and confound the interest of religion amongst us, without attempting to kno^v any thing further of his wiles than others have told us, tliough we see eveiy day the most fatal effects of his hitherto unobserved snares, for fear we shall be guilty of vanity or want of modes- ty, in attempting to discern any thing that was not fully ob- served by our betters in former times ; and that, whatever peculiar opportunities God gives us, by special dispensations of his providence, to see some things that were over-looked by them ? The remarkable things that have come to pass, in late times, respecting the state of religion, I think, will give every wise observer great reason to determine that the counterfeits of the grace of God's spirit are many more than have been general- ly taken notice of heretofore ; and that, therefore, we stand in great need of having the certain and distinguishing nature and marks of genuine religion more clearly and distinctly set forth than has been usual ; so that the difference between that and every thing that is spurious may be more plainly and surely discerned, and safely determined. PREFACE. V As enquiries of this nature are very important and necessa- ry in themselves, so they are what the present state of religion in New-England, and other parts of the British dominioris^ do in a peculiar manner render necessary at tliis season ; and also do give peculiar opportunity for discoveries beyond what has been for a long time. Satan, transforming himself into an angel of light, hu3 shewn himself in many of his artifices more plainly than ordinary ; and given us opportunity to see more clearly and exactly the difference between his operations, and the saving operations and fruits of the spirit of Christ : And we should be much to blame, if we did not improve such an advantage. The author of tlie ensuing treatise has not been negligent of these opportunities. He has not been an unwary or undis- ccrning observer of events that have occurred these ten years past. From the intimate acquaintance wiUi him, which I have been favored with for many years, I have abundant reason to be satisfied that what has governed him in this publication, is no vanity of mind, no aftectation to appear in the world as an author, nor any desire of applause ; but a hearty concern for tlie glory of GOD, and the kingdom and interest of his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ : And, that as to the main things he here insists on, as belonging to the distinguishing nature and essence of true religion, he declai-es them, not only as be-, ing satisfied of them, from a careful consideration of important facts, (which he has had great opportunity to observe), and ve- ry clear experience in his own soul ; but the most diligent search of the holy scriptures, and strict examination of the na- ture of things ; and that his determinations concerning the nature of genuine religion, here exhibited to the world, have not been settled and published by him without long considera- tion, and maturely weighing all objections which could be thought of, taking all opportunities to hear what could be said by all sorts of persons against the principles here laid down, from time to time conversing freely and friendly with gentle- men in die Arminian scheme, having also had much acquaint- 2^74980 Vi PREFACE. ance, and frequent and long conversation with many of the peo- ple called Separatists^ their preachers, and others. And I cannot but express my sincere wishes, that -what is liere written by this reverend and pious p.uthor, may be taken notice of, read without prejudice, and thoroughly considered : As I verily believe, from my own perusal, it will be found a discourse wherein the proper essence and distinguishing na- ture of saving religion is deduced from the first principles of the oracles of God, in a manner tending to a great increase of light in this infinitely important subject.... discovering truth, and, at the same time, shewing the grounds of it, or shewing v/hat things are true, and also why they are true. ...manifest* ing the mutual dependance of the various parts of tb^ true scheme of religion, and also the foundation of the whole.... things being reduced to their first principles in such a manner, that the connection and reason of things, as well as their agree- ment with the word of God, may be easily seen ; and the true source of the dangerous errors concerning the terms of God's favor and qualifications for heaven, which are prevailing at this day, is plainly discovered j shewing their falsehood at the ve- ry foundation, and their inconsistence with the very first prin- ciples of the religion of the bible. Such a discourse as this is very seasonable at this day : And although the author (as he declares), has aimed especially at the benefit of persons of vulgar capacity ; and so has not la- bored for such ornaments of style and language as might best suit the taste of men of polite literature ; yet the matter or sulj- stance that is to be found in this discourse, is what, I trust, will be very entertaining and profitable to every serious and impartial reader, whether learned or unlearned. JONATHAN EDWARDS. Northampton^ August 4, 1750. THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. W E are designed, by GOD our maker, for an endl-ss existence. In this present life we just enter upon being, and are in a state introduc- tory to a ncver-endingditraticn in another world, where we ar" to be for- ever unspeakably happy, or miserable, according to our present conduct. 7 "A/i 15 designed for a state of probation ,- and that, for a state of rei-'ardt zwi puKtsiiments . We are now upon trial, and God's eye is upon us eve- ry moment ; and that picture of ourselves, which we exhibit in our con- duct, the whole of it taken together, will give our proper character, and determine our state forever. This being designed for a state of trial, God now means to try us, that our conduct, under all the trials of life, may discover what we are, and ripen us for the day of judgment ; when God will judge every man according to his works, and render to every one according to his doings. He does not intend, in the dispensations of his providence, to suit things to a state of ease and enjoyment, which is what this life is not designed for ; but to a state of trial : He puts men into trying circumstances of set purpose, and, as it were, contrives meth- ods to try them. One great end he has in view, is, that he may prove them, and know what is in their hearts. He did not lead the children of Israel directly from ^gypt to Canaan, but first through the Ifed .Tea, and then out into a wilderness, where there was neither water, nor bread, nor flesh ; and made them wander there forty years, that he might try thevr, and pro\<e tbem, and knov) ivbat teas in their hearts.. ..DcMt. viii. 2. So, when the christian religion was introduced in- to the world, it was not in sucii a way as men would have chosen, but in a manner suited to a state of trial. Tlie Son of God did not come in outward glory, but in the form of a servant — not to reign as. an earthly prince, but to die upon the cross : And his apostles made but a mean ap- pearance in the eyts of the world ; and that s€ct was every where fpoken agaii\st, aud persecuted ; and many were the stumbling-blocks of the times : And these things were to try the temper of mankind. And when christian churches were erected by the iudef;.ti<;able labors cf St. Paii, and others, that God might thoroughly try every heart, he not only suf- fercd the wicked world to rise in arms against them, but also let Satan loose, to transform himself into an Argelcf Light, and, as it were, to in- spMre.and so«d forth hi>i ministers, transformed «uto the apostles of Christ, Vill THE AUTHOR S PREFACE. to vent heretical doctrines, and foment strife and divlsioH. In the Tne&« while, the secure and wicked world looked on, pleased, no doubt, to see their debates and divisions, and glad they could have such a handle against Christianity, and so good a plea to justify their infidelity : And God de- lighted to have things under circumstances so perfectly well adapted to 9. state of trial. He loved to try the apostles, to see how they would be af- fected and act ; when not only the world vras in arms against them, but many of their own converts turned to be their enemies too, by the influ- ence of false teachers. He loved to try private christians, to see how their hearts would be affected towards the truths of the gospel, and the true ministers of Christ, and towards their temporal interest, while the truths of the gospel v/ere denied or perverted, and the true ministers of Christ despised and stigmatized by heretics, and their temporal interest exposed to the rage of a wicked, merciless world : And he loved to try hyp- ocrites, to see whether they would not renounce the truth they pretended so highly to value, and become disaffected towards the ministers of Christ they seemed so dearly to love, and follow false teachers, or fall off to the world. It is reasonable and fit, and a thing becoming and beautiful, that beings in a state of probation should be tried ; and God looks upon- the present outward ease and comfort even of his own people, as a matter of no im- portance, compared with things spiritual and eternal. Eternity, with all its importance, lies open to his view ; and time appears as a point, and all its concerns as thinj'^s comparatively of no worth. If the wicked are in prosperity, and the righteous in adversity, or all things come alike to all, God is well pleased, because things of time are of so little impor- tance, and because such an administration of things is suited to a state of trial. There will be time enough hereafter for the righteous to be rewarded, and the wicked punished. In this view of things, we may, in a measure, un- derstand the darkest, and account for the most mysterious, dispensations of divine providence, and discern the wisdom of the divine government. It has doubtless appeared as a thing strange and dark to many pious persons, and occasioned not a little perplexity of mind, to observe what has come to pass in Nenu-England since the year 1740.... That there should be so general an out-pouring of the spirit — so many hundreds and thou» Bands awakened all over the country, and such an almost universal exter- nal reformation, and so many receive the word with joy ; and yet, after all, things come to be as they now are : so many fallen away to carnal security, and so many turned enthusiasts and heretics, and the country so generally settled in their prejudices against experimental religion and the doctrines of the gospel, and a flood of Ariyiinianism and immoralitj', ready to deluge the land : but, as strange and dark as it may have seemed, yet doubdess if any of us had lived with the Israelites In the wilderness, or in the three first ages after Christ, or in the time of the reformation THE AUTHORS PREFACE. IX ft-om Papery, the dispensations of Divine Providence would , upon ihe whole, have appeared much more mysterious than they do now. And yet those were times when God was doing glorious things for his Church. — And indeed, it has happened in our day, however strange it may seem to us, no otherwise than our Savior foretold it commonly would ujidcr the gospel dispensation, at least till Satan is bound, that he may deceive the nations no more. The soiver goes forth to sow, and some seed falls by the •way-side, and some on stony, and some on thorny, and some on j,ood ground ; and while he is sowing good seed, an enemy in the night, the devil, unobserved, sows tares : Now when the sun is up, i. e. when new times come on, and trials approach, the main of the seed is lost ; not only what fell by the way-side, but also what fell on the stony and thorny ground. And when X.\\e good ground is about to bring forth fruit, the tares bc,q;in to appear too.... ilf^f. xiii. Thus it has always been. — This is a state of trial, and God has permitted so many sad a'ul awful things to happen in times of reformation, with design to prove the children of men, and know what is in their hearts. The young people almost all over Neiv-England professed they would for ever renounce youthful vanities, and seek the Lord. " Well," God, in the course of his Providence, as it were, says, " I will try you." Seeming converts expressed great love to Christ, his truths, and ministers, and ways ; " Well," says God, " I will try you." Multitudes, being enemies to all true religion, longed to see the whole reformation fall into disgrace, and things return to their own channel ; and they sought for objections and stumbling-blocks : " Well," says God, " You inay have " them, and I will try and see how you will be affected, and what you " will say, and whether you will be as glad when the cause of my Son " is betrayed by the miscarriages of those that profess to be his friends, " as the yems of old were, when my Son himself was betrayed into their hands by yudas." Thus God means to try every one. A compassionate sense of the exercises, which godly persons, especial- ly among common people, might be under, in these evil days, while some are fallen away, and others are clajiping their hands and rejoicing with all their hearts to see Zion laid waste ; while Anninians are glossing their scheme, and appealing to reason and common sense, as though their principles were near or quite self-evident to all men of thought and can- dor ; and while enthusiasts are going about as n\cn inspired and immedi- ately sent by the Almighty, pretending to extraordinary sanctity, and bold in it that they are so holy in themselves, and so entirely on the Lord's side, that all godly people must, and cannot but sec as they do, and fall in with thorn, unless they are become blind, dead and carnal, and gotten back into tlie world; a compassionate sense, I say, of the exercises of mind, which pious persons among common people nii^ht have, in such a B X THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. tryingMtuation of things, ^vas the first motive which excitedtne to enter upon this work, which I now offer to the public : And to ntake divine truths plain to such, and to strip error naked before their eyes, that they might be estabiislied, and comforted, and quickened in their way heaven- ward, wus the end I had in view : and, accordingly, I have laboted'very much to adapt myself to the lowest capacities, not meaning to write a book for the learned anJ poiire, but -for common people, and especially for those who are godly among thenn. To these, therefore, that they may read what i have written with the greater pYofit, I will offer these two directions : 1. 'Labor after deterininate ideas of God, and a sense (f'his infinite glory. This will spread a light overall the duties and doctrines of reli- gion, and help you to understand the law and the gospel, and to pry into the mysteries, and discern the beauties, of the divine government. By much the greatest part of what I have written, besides shewing what God is, consists in but so many propositions deduced from the divine perfections. Begin here, therefore, and learn what God Is, and then what the nnoral laiv is ; and this will help you to imderstand what our ruin is, and what the way of our recovery by free grace through Jesu« Christ. The Bible is designed for rational creatures, and has^God for its author ; and you may therefore depend upon it, that it contains a scheme perfectly rational, divine and glorious ; arnd the pleasure of divine knowledge will a thousand times more than recoinpence all your reading, study and pains ^ only content not yourselves with a general superficial knowledge, 'but enter thoroughly into things. 2. Practice, as well as read. The end of reading and knowledge is |)ractii\^: and holy practice will help you to understand what you read. JLwoc God ^Mitb all your bean, and your neighbor as yourself ; and you cannot but understand me, whik, in the first Discourse, I shew v,-hat is implied in these two great -commands : and practice repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ ; and the second Discourse, wliich treats of the nature of the gospel, and a genuine compliance there- with, will naturally becon^fi plain and easy : and while you daily study divine truths in your heads, and digest them well in your hearts, and practice them in your lives, your knowledge and holiness will increase, and God's word and providence be better understood, your perplexing difficulties will be more solved, and you be established, strengthened and comforted, in your way heaven-ward ; and your light shining before men, they will see your good works, and your Father which is in Heaven will be glorified, — AU which are the hearty desire and prayer of Your Servant in Jesus Christ, JOSEPH BELLAMY. Bethiem, April 25, 1750. Cnie laeUgion DrlmratcD. DISCOURSE I. SHEAVING THE NATURE OF THE DIVINE LAW, AND vrJlEREIN CONSISTIi A REAL CONTOR:! ITV TO IT. MAT XXII. 37. 38. 39, 40. ^e'sus said finto biiti, thou shalt love the Lordtby God vritb alt iby heart, av.d Kuith ail thy sou/, and with all thy mind. ...7 his is the Jirst and great cnin- tnund itwnt — And the second is ii*e unto it, thou shall love thy neighbor a<; thyself ....On tbcst tvio coniitiandtnent^ hang ail the las3 and (be pr.^Jiictt. THE INTRODUCTION. X RUE i-eliglon consists in a conformit)- to the laju of God,, and in a compliance with the gospel of Christ. The re- ligion of innocent man consisted onlv in a conformity to the law — the law of nature, with the addition of one positive pre- cept : he had no need of gospel-grace. But m hen man lost his iniiocencA', and became guilty and depi*aved — when lit fell under the wrath of God and powerof J5in,he needed a redeem- er and a sanctifier ; and in the gospel a redeemer :md a sanc- tifier are provided, and a way for our obtaining pardoning mer- cy and sanctifying grace is opened — a compliance with which does now, therefore, become part of the religion> of a f;illcn creature.. Now, if we cau but rightlv understand the /cni', and righily understand die gospel^ we m.ay ca^^tly see wherein a conformity to • the one, and a compliance with the other, does consist ; and so what true religion is. For the present, let us take the Lnu under consideration. — And it will be proper to enquire into these following particu- 2 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND lars : — 1 . What duty does God require of us in his law ? — 2. From what motives must that duty be done ? — 3. What is that precise measure of duty which God requires in his law ? And a short, but very clear and plain answer to all these questions we have before us in our text ; which is the words of our blessed Savior, and in which he does upon design declare what the sum and substance of the law is. He had a question put to him in these words : " Master, which is the great commandment in the law ?" To which he answers — " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c. ; this is the first : The second is like unto it, 8);c." The ten commandments are summed up in these two j and every duty enjoined in the law, and incul- cated in the prophets, is but a deduction from these two, in which all are radically contained. A thorough under- standing of these two will therefore give us an insight into all. Let us now, therefore, begin with taking the Ji7-st of these into particular consideration. — Thoic shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy hearty &c....Here is — 1. The duty required, viz. love to God. — 2. The gi-ounds and reasons of the duty va- X\msX<tii.„.Because he is the Lord our God. — 3. The measure of duty required.... rF/7/j all thy hearty &c. In discoursing upon these words, I will therefore endeavor to shew, I. What is implied in love to God. IL From what motives we are required to love him. III. What is the measui-e of love which is required. SECriON I. SHEWING WHAT IS IMPLIED IN LOVE TO GOD. I. I am to shew xohat is implied in love to God. And 1 . A true knowledge of God is implied; for this lays the foun- dation of love. A spiritual sight of God, and a sense of his glory and beauty, begets love. When he that commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shines in our hearts, and gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God ; and when we, with open face, behold, as in a glass, the glory of the DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 3 Lord, then we ai-e changed into the same image : the temper and frame of our hearts become Uke God's : (to speak after the manner of men) we beghi to feel towards God, in a meas- ure, as he does towards himself; i. e. to love him with all our hearts... .II Cor. iii. 18. & iv. G. For now we begin to perceive the grounds and reasons of that infinite esteem he has of him- self, and infinite complacency in himsell, and why he commands all the world to love and adore him : And the same grounds and reasons which move him thus to love himself, and command all the world to do so too, do enkindle the divine flame in our hearts. When we see God, in a measure, such as he sees himself to be, and have a sense of his glory and beauty in being what he is, in a measure, as he himself has, then we begin to love him with the same kind of love, and from the same motives, iis he himself does ; only in an infinitely inferior degree. This sight and sense of God discovers the grounds of love to him : We see why he requires us to love him, and why we ought to love him — how right and fit it is ; and so we cannot but love him. This true knowledge of God supposes, that, in a measure, we see God to be just such a one as he is ; and, in a measure, have a sense of his infinite glory and beauty in being such. For if our apprehensions of God are not right, it is not God we love, but only a false image of him framed in our own fancy.* And if we have not a sense ofhisglor}' and beauty • How false and dangerous, therefore, is that principle, " That it is no matter what men's principles are, if their lives be hut good." — Just as if that external conformity to the law might he called a good life, which does not proceed from a genuine love to God in the heart : or Just as if a. man might have a genuine love to God in his heart, without having right apprehensions of him !...or just as if a man might have right appre- hensions of God, let liis apprehensions be what they will ! Upon this princij)le, Heaibcns, ytr^'s, and M.iLoinctar.s, may be saved as well as Christ inns. And, ujjon this principle, the licathen nations need not much trouble themselves to know wiiich is the right God among all the gods that are worshipped in the world ; for it is no matter ii'A/cj6 GoJ they think is the true, if their lives are but good. — But why has God revealed him- self in his word, if right an])rehensions of God be a matter of such ind.t- ference in religion ? and why did St. Paul take such pains to convert tlie. heathen nations to Christianity, and so much fill up his epistles to them afterwards with doctrinal paints, and be so strenuous as to say, " If an an- gel frt)m heave ii should preach any other gospt-I, let him p.e accur- sed," if right apprehensions of God, and right principles of rclijion be a. 4 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND in being what he is, it is impossible we should truly love ani esteem him for being such. To love God for being what he is, and yet not to have any sense of his glory and beauty in being such, implies a contradiction ; for it supposes we have a sense of his glory and.beauty when we have not : a sense of the beauty and amiableness of any object being always neces- sarily implied in love to it. Where no beauty or amiableness is- seen there can be no love. Love cannot be forced. Forced love is no love. If we ai-e obliged to try to force ourselves to love any body, it is a sign they are very odious in our eyes, or at least that we see no beauty or amiableness in them, no form or comeliness, wherefore we should desire or delight in them,. .. Cant. x'm. 7. In all cases, so far as we see beautv, so far we love, and no farther. Most certainly that knowledge of God which is necessary to lay a foundation of genuine love to him, implies not only right apprehensions of what he is, but also a sense of his glory and beauty in being such ; for such a knowledge of God as consists merely in speculatio?!^ let it rise ever so high, and be matter of such indifference ? — It is strange that such a notion should be ever once mentioned by any that pretend to be Christians, since it is sub- versive of the whole Christian religion : making Christianity no safer a way to heaven than Faganism : Yea, such a principle naturally tends to make all those who imbibe it leave love to God and faith in Christ out of their religion, and quiet theinselves with a mere empty fornn of external duties c Or, in other words, it tends to make them leave the /aw and t\\t gospel out of their religion, and quiet themselves with mere heathen inurality ,■ for a man cannot attain to love to God a.nd faith in Christ, without right appre- hensions of God and Christ : Or, in other words, a man cannot attain to a real conformity to the law, and to a genuine coiripliance with the gospel*; unless his principles respecting the law and gospel are right : but a man may attain to a good life, externally, let his apprehensions of God and Christy of lav and gospel, and all his principles of religion, be what they will. Let hira be a lieathen, or Jew, a Mahometan, or Christian ; yea, if a man be an Atheist, he may live a good life externally ; for any inan has sufficient power to do evei-y external duty ; and it is many times much to men's honor and worldly interest to appear righteous outwardly befort »!£«.. ..Mat. xxiii. 28. . N. B. What is here said, may, with a little alteration, be as well applii- ed to sorrie other sorts of men. So the Moravians say " They care not what men's principles are, if they do but love the Savior." So, in Kew- England, there are multitudes v/ho care little or nothing what doctrines men believe, if they are but full of flami ng zeai,. Just as if it were no matter what kind of Savior we frame an idea of, if we do but love him ; nor what we are zealous about, if v/e are but fi.amikg hot. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUXTERTriTS. 5 ever SO clear, will never move us to love him. INIerc specula- tion, where there is no sense of beauty, will no sooner fill the heart with love, than a looking-glass will be filled with love by the image of a beautiful countenance, which looks into it : and a mere speculative knowledge of God, will not, cannot, beget a sense of his beauty in being what he is, when there is naturally no disposition in ourhearts to account him glorious in being such, but wholly to the contrary. Rom. viii. 7.... The carnal miudh en- viity against God. When natures are in perfect contrariet}-, (the one sinful, and the other holy,) the more they are known to each other, the more is mutual hatred stirred up, and their entire aversion to each other becomes more sensible. The more they know of one another, the greater is their dislike, and the plainer do they feel it. — Doubtless the fallen angels have a gi-eat degree of speculative knowledge ; they have a ver\- clear sight and great sense of what God is : but the more they know of God, the more they hate him : /. e. their hatred and aver- sion is stirred up the more, and they feci it plainer. So, awa- kened sinners, when under deep and thorough conviction, have comparatively a veiy clear sight and great sense of God ; but it only makes them see and feel tlieir native enmity, which be- fore lay hid. A sight and sense of what God is, makes thera see and feel what his law is, and so what their duty is, and so what their sinfulness is, and so what their danger is : It makes the commandment come^ and so siti revives^ and the ij die.... Kom. vii. 7, 8, 9. The clearer sight and the greater sense they have of what God is, tlie more plainly do they percei\e that perfect contrariety between his nature and theh-'s ; their aversion to God becomes discernible : tliey begin to see what enemies they are to him ; and so the secret hypocrisy there has been in all their pretences of love, is discovered — and so their high con- ceit of their goodness, and all their hopes of finding favor in the sight of God upon the account of it, cease, die away, and come to nothing. Sin revived, and I died. The gieater sight and sense they ha\ e of what Cxod is, the plainer do they feel that tiiey have no love to him ; but the g:-eatest aversion : for the 6 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND more they know of God, the more their native enmitj' is stirred lip. So, again, as soon as ever an unrcgenerate, sinner enters into tlie world of spirits, where he has a much clearer sight and greater sense of what God is, immediately his native en- mity v,-orks to perfection, and he blasphemes like a very devil : and that aldiough perhaps he died full of seeming love and joy. As the Galatians^ who once loved Paitl^ so as that they could even have plucked out their eyes and given them to him ; yet, when afterwards they came to know more clearly what kind of man he was, then they turned his enemies ; And soj finally, all the wicked, at the day of Judgment ,when they shall see ver\' clear- ly what God is, will thereby only have all the enmity of their hearts stirred to perfection. — From all which it is exceedingly manifest that the clearest speculative knowledge of God, is so far from bringing an unholy heart to love God, that it will only stir up the more aversion ; and therefore that knowledge of God which lays the foundation of love, must imply not only right apprehensions of what God is, but also a sense of his glo- ry and beauty in being such.* Wicked men and devils may know what God is, but none but holy beings have any setise of his infinite glory and beauty In being such; which sefise^ in scripture-language, is called sm;??" and knoxvlng. . I. John iii. 6. Whosoever sinneth^hath not seen h'nii^ neither known him. III. John, ver. 11. He that doth evil hath not seen God. I. John ii. 4. He thatsaith^ I knoiv Azm, and keepeth not his coimnandments, is a liar^ and the truth is not * I grant, that if all our enmity against God arise merely froin our conceiving hini to be our eneiny, then a manifestation of his love to our souls will cause our enmity to cease, and bring us to love him ; nor will there be anv need of a sense of the moral excellency of his nature to pro- duce it ; and so there will be no need of the sanctifying influences of the holy spirit. A manifestation of the love of God to our souls will eftectu- allv change us.... and thus a man may be under great terrors from a sense of the wrath of God, and may see the enmity of his heart in this sense; and may afrei-wards have, as he thinks, great manifestations of the love of God, and be tilled with love and joy ; and after ail, never truly see the plague of his own heart, nor have his nature renewed : and a man's ha^-ing experienced such a false conversion, naturally leads him to fram.e wrong notions of religion, and blinds his mind against the truth. Many of the Ar.tinomian principles take rise froiii this quarter. DISTINCUISKED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 7 in him. Because wicked men have no sense of his glor}' and beauty, tiierefore they are said not to know God : For all knowledge without this is vain ; it is but the form of knowledge ....Rom. ii. 20. It will never enkindle divine love. And, in scripture, sinners are said to be hUnd^ because, after all their light and knowledge, they have no sense of God's glory in be- "ing what he is, and so have no heart to love him. And hence also they are said to be dead. They know nothing of the in- effable glory of the divine nature, and the love of God is not in thera....yo/m v. 42. andviii. 19, 55. 2. Another thing implied in love to God is esteem. Esteem, strictly speaking, is that high and exalted thought of, and value for, any thing, which arises from a sight and sense of its omti intrinsic worth, excellency and beauty. So, a sense of the infi- nite dignity, greatness, glory, excellency and beauty of the most high God, begets in us high and exalted thoughts of him, and makes us admire, wonder and adore. Hence, the heaven- ly hosts fall down before the throne, and, under a sense of his ineffable glory, continually cr}-, Ifoly, ^^^'i/? holij, Lord God Al- mightJj^ the whole earth is full of thy glorij. And Saints here below, while they behold, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are ravished ; they esteem, they admire, they wonder and adore ; and, under some feebler sense of the inefiiible glory of die divine nature, they begin to feel as they do in heaven, and to speak their language, and say, " Who is a God like unto thee ! thy name alone is excellent, and thy j^^lory is exalted above the heavens." This high esteem of God disposes and inclines the heart to acquiesce, yea, to exult, in all the high prerogatives God as- sumes to himself. God, from a consciousness of his own infinite excellency, his entire right to and absolute audiority over all things, is dispos- ed to take state to himself, and honor and niajc&ty, tlie king- dom, the power and the glory ; and he sets up himself as .tli- most high God, supreme Lord and sovereign Governor of the whole world, and bids all worlds adore him, and be in a met C 8 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND perfect subjection to him, and that with all their hearts ; and esteems the wretch, who does not account this his highest hap- piness, worthy of eternal damnation. God thinks it infinitely becomes him to set up himself for a God, and to command all the world to adore him, upon pain of eternal damnation. He thinks himself fit to govern the world, and that the throne is his proper place, and that all love, honor and obedience are his due. *' I am the Lord, (says he) and besides me there is no God. *' I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give *' to another. And thus and thus shall }'e do, for I am the " Lord. And cursed be every one that continues not in all " things written in the book of the law to do them." Now it would be infinitely wicked for the highest angel in Heaven to assume any of this honor to himself ; but it infinitely becomes the most high God thus to do. And when we see his infinite dignity, greatness, glory and excellency, and begin rightly to esteem him, then his conduct, in all this, will begin to appear infinitely right and fit, and so infinitely beautiful and ravishing, and worthy to be rejoiced and exulted in. Psalm xci. l,...The Lord reigneth^ let the earth rejoice : let the multitude of the isles be glad thereof. And a sight and sense of the supreme, infinite glorv and ex- cellency of the divine nature, will not only make us glad that he is God, and King, and Governor ; but also exceedingly glad that we live under his government, and are to be his subjects and servants, and to be at his disposal.. ..It will shew us the grounds and reasons of his law... how infinitely right and fit it is that we should love him with all our hearts, and obey him in every thing ; how infinitely unfit and wrong the least sin is, and howjustthe threatened punishment : and, at the same time, it will help us to see that all the nations of the earth are as a drop of the bucket, or small dust of the balance, before him ; and that we ourselves are nothing and less than nothing in his sight. So that a right sight and sense of the supreme, infinite glory of God, will make us esteem hina, so as to be glad diat he is on the throne, and we at his footstool. ...that he is king, and we hi* DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 9 subjects,.. that he rules and reigns, and that we are absolutely in subjection, and absolutely at his disposal. In a word, we shall be glad to see him take all that honor to himself which he does, and shall be heartily reconciled to his govcrhment, and cordially willing to take our own proper places ; and hereby a foundadon will begin to be laid in our hearts for all things to come to rights. Job xlii. 5, 6..., J have heard of thee by the hear' jjig of the ear: but noiv mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I ab- hor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Isn. ii. 1 1 ... The lofty looks of man shall be humbled^ and the haughtiness of man shall he brought doxun, and the Lord alone shall be exalted. ...And that all this is implied in a genuine love to God, not only the rea- son of the thing and the plain tenor of scripture manifest, but it is even self-evident ; for if we do not so esteem God as to be thus glad to have him take his place, and we ours^ it argues secret dislike, and proves that there is secret rebellion in our hearts : Thus, therefore, n^ust we gsteem the glorious God, or be repijted rebels in his sight. 0. Another thing implied in lo^c to God may be called be- nevolence. When we are acqviainted with any person, and he appears very excellent in our eyes, and we highly esteem him, it is natural now heartily to wish him well ; we are conccnipd for his interest ; we are glad to see it go well with him, aivi sorry to see it go ill widi him ; and ready at all times chearful- ly to do what we can tp promote his welfare. Thus Jjonathan felt towards David : and thus love to God will make usj'eel to- wards him, his honor and interest in the world. When. God is seen in his infuiite dignity, greatness, glory and excelleucy, Jis the most high God, sunrem.e Lprd. and. sovereign governor of the whole world, and a sense of his infinite worthiness is hereby raised in our hearts, this enkindles a holv bei;c:vo!ence, the naturallanguagc of which is. Let, God be gL ri/ied., ..Fsalm xcvi. 7, B^.. 4>ul be thou exalted^ Q God^ above the heavens : let. thy glory be above all the earth.. ,,Fsa\m Ivii. 5, 11. This holy disposition sometimes expresses itself in earned longings that God would glorify himself, and honor his gve;it 10 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND name ; and bring all the world into an entire subjection to him. And hence this is the natural language of true love. ...Our father which art in Heaven^ hallowed be thy 7iame, thy kingdom comCy thy will be done on earthy as it is in Heaven... .^3it. vi. 9, 10. And hence, when God is about to bring to pass great and glo- rious things to the honor of his great name, it causes great joy and rejoicing. Psalm xcvi. 11, 12, 13. ...Let the heavens rejoicCy and let the earth be glad : let the sea roar and the fulness there- of: let the field bejoyful^ and all that is therein : then shall the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord ; for he cometh^for he Cometh to judge the earth : he shall judge the world with 7-ight- eousness^ and the people xvith his truth. And hence again, when God seems to be about to do, or per- mit, any thing., which, as it seems to us, tends most certainly to bring reproach and dishonor upon his great name, it occasions the greatest anguish and distress. Thus says God to Moses, " This is a stiff-necked people, let me alone that I may destroy " them in a moment, and I will make of thee a great nation." But says IMoses, " What will become of thy great name ? " What will the Egyptians say ? And what will the nations all >' round about say r" And he mourns and wrestles, cries and prays, begs and pleads, as if his heart would break : and says he, " If I may not be heard, but this dishonor and reproach " must come upon thy gi-eat name, it cannot comfort me to tell " me of making of me a great nation : pray let me rather die *' and be forgotten forever, and let not my name be numbered *' among the living ; but let it be blotted out of thy book." Well, says God, " I will hear thee. But, as truly as I live, I " will never put up these affronts ; but the whole world shall *' knov/ what a holy and sin-hating God I am, and be filled •' Vt^ith my glory : for the carcases of all those who have treat- " ed me thus shall fall in the wilderness ; and here they shall " v/ander till forty 5'ears are accomplished, and then I v/ill do " so and so to their children, and so secure the honor of my *' power, truth and faithfulness." And nov/ Moses is content to live in the v/ilderaess, and do, and suffer, and undergo any DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 11 thing, if God will but take care of his gi-eatname. Exod. xxxii. Numb. xiv....An(l as it is distressing toatrue lover of God, to see God's name, and works, and ways fall into reproach and contempt ; and as, on the other hand, there is no greater joy than to see God glorify himself (Exod. xv. J ; hence, this world, even on this account, may be fitly called a vale of tears to the people of God, because here they are always seeing reproach and contempt cast upon God, his name, his works and his ways : And hence, at tlie day of judgment, all these tears shall be wiped away from their ejes, because then they shall see all things turned to the advancement of the glory of his great name, throughout the endless ages of etcmit}-..../v't^. xix. 1,2,3,4, 5. Again, this divine benevolence, or wishing that God may be glorified, sometimes expresses itself in earnest longings that all worlds might join together to bless and praise the name of the Lord ; and it appears infinitely fit and right, and so infi- nitely beautiful and ra\ishing,that the whole intelligent creation should forever join in the most solemn adoration : yea, and that sun, moon, stars.. ..earth, air, sea....birds, beasts, fishes.... mountains and hills, and all things, should, in their way, dis- play the divine perfections, and praise the name of the Lord, because his name alone is excellent, and his glor)' is exalted above the heavens. And hence the pious P.salmist so often breathes this divine language : Psalm ciii. 20, 21, 22. ...Bless the Lord, yc his angels^ that excel in strength — that do his com- viandments^ hearkening unto the voice of his ivord. .. .Bless ije the Lord^ all ye his hosts ^ ijc ministers of his ^ that do his pleasure... Bless the Lord., all his xocrksy in all places of his dominion : Bless the Lord, 0 my sou!. Psalm cxlviii, 1 — 13. ...Praise ye the Lord.. ..Praise ye the Lord from the heavens : praise him in the heights,. ..Praise him, all ye his angels : praise him, all his hosts.. ..Praise him., sun and moon, &c. — Let them praise the name of the Lord ; for his name alone is excellent, &c. See al- so the<)J, 96, 97, 8^ 98th Psalms, 8cc. &c. Lastly, from this divine benevolence arises a free and genu- ine disj)osition^to consecrate and give up ourselves entirely to 12 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND the Lord forever — to walk in all his ways, and keep all his com- mands, seeking his glory : For if we desire that God may ht glorified, we shall naturally be disposed to seek his glory. A sight and sense of the infinite dignity, greatness, glory and ex- cellency of God, the great creator, preserver and governor of the world, who has an entire right unto, and an absolute author- ity over all things, makes it appear mfinitely fit that all things should be for him, and him alone ; and that we should be en- tirely for him, and wholly devoted to him ; and that it is infi- nitely wrong to live to ourselves, and make our ov^n interest our last end. The same views which make die godly earnest- ly long to have God glorify himself, and to have all the world join to give him glory, thoroughly engage them for their parts to live to God. After David had called upon all others to bless the Lord, he concludes with. Bless the Lord^ 0 my soul : And this is the language of heaven — Rev. iv. 11....7%ow art tvorthijy 0 Lord, to receive glory , and honor, and poxver : For thoi^hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, andxvere crea- ted. And it was their maxim in the Apostles' days. Whether they ate or drank, or whatever they did, all must be done to the glory of God... .1 Cor. x. 31. And it was their way, not. to live to themselves, but to the Lord... .11 Cor. v.. 15 : Yea, Whether they lived, to live to the Lord ; or ivhether they died, to die to the Lord....Kom. xiv. 7, 8. This was what they commended..,. JPhil. ii. 20, 21. And this was what they enjoined, as that, iji which the very spirit of true religion consisted.... ^^/i. vi. 5, <5, 7 I Cor. vi. 20.— i?(j»2. xii, 1. &vii. 4. All rational creatures, acting as such, are always influenced by motives in their whole conduct. Those things are always the most powerful motives, which appear to us most worthy of our choice. The principal motive to an action, is always the ultimate end of the action : Hence, if God, his honor and inte- rest, appear to us as the supreme good, and most v, orthy of our choice, then God, his honor, and interest, will be the principal motive and ultimate end of all we do.^ If we love God su- premely, we shall live to him ultimately ; if we love him widi DISTINGUISHED TROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 13 all our hearts, we shall serve him with all our souls : Just as, on the other hand, if we love ourselves above all, then self-love will absolutely govern us in all things ; if self-interest be the principal motive, then self-interest will be the last end, in our whole conduct : Thus, then, we see, tliat if God be highest in esteem, then God'^s interest will be the principal motive and the last end of the whole conduct of rational creatures ; aftd \i .^elf be the highest in esteem, then self-interest will be the principal motive and last end : And hence wc may observe, that where self-interest governs men, they are considered in scripture as serving themsehcs. ...}ios. x. 1. — Zee. vii. 5, 6. And where God\- interest governs, they are considered as serving the Lord ....II Cor. V. 15. — Gal. i. 10. — Eph. vi. 5,G, T. compared with Tit. ii. 9, 10. To love God so as to serve him, is what the law requires ; — to love scf, so as to serve self is rebellion against the majesty of heaven : And the same infinite obliga- tions which we are under to love God above ourselves ; even the same infinite obligations are we under to live to God ulti- mately, and not to ourselves : And therefore it is as great a sin to live to ourselves ultimately,as itis to love ourselves supremely. 4. and lastly. Delight in God, is also implied in love to him. By delight we commonly mean that pleasure, sweetness and satisfaction, which we take in any thing that is ver\- dear to us. When a man appears veiy excellent to us, and we esteem him, and wish him all good, we also, at the same time, feel a delight in him, and a sweetness in his company and conversation ; we long to see him when absent ; we rejoice in his presence ; the enjoyment of him tends to make us happy : So, when a holy soul beholds (jod in the infinite moral excellency and beauty of his nature, and loves him supremely, and is devoted to him en- tirely, now also he delights in him superlatively. His delight and complacency is as great as his esteem, and arises from a sense of the same moral excellency and beauty. From this de- light in God arise longings after fmther acquaintance v/ith him, and greater nearness to him. Job xxiii. C>...Othjt Iknexvivhcre I might find him ^ that I might vj}ne even to his seut ! — Longings t4 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND after communion with him. Psahn Ixiii. 1, 2....C Goc/, thou art my God ; early xvill I seek thee : my soid thirstethfor thee : vnf Jiesh longethfor thee in a dry and thirsty land^ xvhere no water is.... To see thy poxuer and thy glory ^ so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Verse 8....jlly sold folloTveth hard after thcc. A holy rejoicing in God. Hab. iii. 1/, 18.... Although the fig- tree shall not blossom^ neither shall fruit be in the vine ; the la- bor of the olive* shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls....7'et I xvill rejoice in the Lord, I xvill Joy in the God of my salvation. Finall}', from this dehght in God arises a ho- ly disposition to renomice all other things, and live wholly up- on him, and take up everlasting content in him, and in him alone. Psalm Ixxiii. 25, 26. ...Who7n have I in heayen but thee f and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. ...My flesh andmxj heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. The vain man takes content in vain com- pany ; the worldly man takes content in riches ; the ambitious man in honor and applause ; tlie philosopher in philosophical speculations ; the legal hypocrite in his round of duties ; the evangelical hypoprite in his experiences, his discoveries, his jovs, his raptures, and confident expectation of heaven : But the true lover of God takes his content in God himself. Psalm iv. 6, 7. And thus we see what is implied in love to God. And now, that this is a right representation of the nature of tliat love which is required in the first and great commandment of the law, upon which chiefly all the law and the prophets hang, is manifest, not only from the reason of the thing, and from what has been already said, but also from this, that such a love to God as this laijs a sure and firm foundation for all ho^ ly obedience. That love to God is of the right kind, which will effectually influence us to keep his commands. John xv. 14. I. J'olm ii. 3, 4, 5. But it is evident, from the nature of things, that such a love as this will effectually influence us to do so. As self-love naturally causes us to set up self and seek self-inter- est, so this love to God will naturally influence us to set up God DISTINGUISHCD FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 15 and seek his interest. As delight in the world naturally makes us seek after the enjoyment of the world, so this delight in God will naturally influence us to seek after the enjoyment of God : And while we love God primarily for being what he is, we cannot but, for the same reason, love his law, which is a trans- cript of his nature, and love to conform to it. If we loved him only from self-love, from the fear of hell, or from the hopes of heaven, we might,at the same time, hate his law : but if we love him for being what he is, we cannot but love to be like him ; which is what his law requires. To suppose that a man loves God supremely for M'hat he is, and yet does not love to belike him, i:> an evident contradiction. It isto suppose a thing supreme- ly loved ; and yet, at the same time, not loved at all : So that, to a demonstration, this is the very kind of love which the Lord our God requires of us. So, saints in heaven love God perfectly, and so the good man on earth begins, in a weak and feeble manner, to love God : for there is but one kind of love required in the law ; and so but one kind of love which is of the right sort: for no kind of love can be of the right sort, but that very kind of love which the law requires ; There is, therefore, no difference between their love in heaven, and ours here upon earth, but- only in degree. SECnOX II. SHEWING FROM WHAT MOTIVES TRUE LOVE TO GOD TAKES ITS RISE. II. I now proceed to shew more particularly y5o;n what mo- tives xve are required thiia to love God. Indeed, I have done this in part already ; for I have been obliged all along, in shew- ing what is implied in love to God, to kei-p my e}e upon the first and chief ground and reason ol love, namely, what CtocI is in himself. But there are other considerations which increase our obligations to love him and live to him ; whicii ought, there- for^, to come, into the' account : And I design here to take a general view of all the reasons and motives which ought to in- fluence us to love the Lord our God ; all which are implied in . D 16 TRUE RELIGION DLLINEATED, AND those words, The Lord thy God. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, i. e. because he is the Lord and our God. 1. The first and chief motive which is to influence us to love God with all our hearts, is his infinite dignity and greatness, glo' rij and excellency ; or, in one word, his infnite amiableness. — We are to love him with all our hearts, because he is the Lord — because he is what he is, and just such a Being as he is. — On this account, primarily, and antecedent to all other considera- tions, he is infinitely amiable ; and, therefore, on this account, primarily, and antecedent to all other considerations, ought he to aijpear infinitely amiable in our eyes. This is the first and chief reason and gi'ound upon which his laxv is founded, I am THE 'LoKT)...CExod. XX. 2 — Lcv. xix. J This, therefore, ought to be the first and chief motive to influence us to obey. The principal reason which moves him to require us to love him, ought to be the principal motive of our love. If the fundamen- tal reason of his requiring us to love him with all our hearts, is because he is what he is, and yet the bottom of our love be some- thing else, then our love is not what his law requires, but a thing of quite another nature : Yea, if the foundation of our love to God is not because he is what he is, in truth, we love him not at all. If I feel a sort of respect to one of my neighbors, who is very kind to me, and either do not Enow what sort of man he is, or, if I do, yet do not like him, it is plain, it is his kind- nesses I love, and not his person ; and all my seeming love to him is nothing but self-love in another shape : And let him cease being kind to me, and my love will cease : Let him cross me, and I shall hate him. Put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face, (Job i. 1 1), said the devil concerning Job ; and, indeed. Job would have done so, had not his love to God taken its rise from another motive than God*'s kindnesses to him. But why need I multiply words ? For it seems even self-evident that God's loveliness ought to be the first and chief thing for which we love him. • _ _ Now, God is infinitely lovely, because he is what he is ; or, in other words, his infinite dignity and greatness, glory and ex- DISTINdUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFKITS. 17 cellency, are the result of his natural and moral perfections : So that it is a clear sight and realizing sense of his natural and moral perfections, as they are revealed in his works and in his word, that make him appear, to a holy soul, as a Being of in- finite dignity and greatness, glor}- and excellency. Thus, the Queen of 6'/ie^a, seeing and conversing with Solo?}ion, and view- ing his works, under a sense of the large and noble endow- ments of his mind, was even ravished ; and cried out, The one half was not told me J And thus the holy and divinely enlight- ened soul, upon seeing God, reading his word, and meditating on his wonderful works, under a sense of his divine and in- comprehensible perfections, is ravished with his infinite dignity, majesty, greatness, glory and excellency ; and loves, admires, and adores ; and says, IFho is a God like unto thee .' His natural perfections are, (1.) Hh injinite understandings whereby he knows himself, and all things possible, and beholds all things past, present and to come, at one all-conipi'ehensive view. So that, from ever- lasting to everlasting, his knowledge can neither increase nor diminish, or his views of things suffer the least variation ; being always absolutely complete, and consequently necessarily al- ways the same. (2.) His ahnightij power^ whereby he is able, with infinite ease, to do any thing that he pleases. And his moral perfections are, (1 .) His infmitc ■tvisdo?n, whereby he is able, and is inclined to contrive and order all things, ia all woi^lds, for the best ends and after the best manner. (2.) His perfect holiness^ whereby he is Inclined infinitely to love right, and hate wrong : Or, according to scripture-phrase, to love righteousness and hate iniquity. (3.) His impartial justice^ whereby he is unchangeably in- clined to render to every one according to his deserts. (4.) His infinite goodness, whereby he can find in his heart to bestow the greatest favors upon his creatures, if he pleases ; and is inclined to bestow all that is best, all things considered. 18 TRUE RELIGIOV DELINEATED, AND (5.) His truth and faithfulness^ whereby he is indined to fulfil all his will, according to his word: So that there is an ever- lasting harmony between his will, his word, and his performance. And his being, and all his natural and moral perfections, and his glory and blessedness, which result from them, he has in himself, and of himself, underived ; and is necessarily infi- 'nite, eternal, unchangeable, in all ; and so, absolutely indepen- dent, self-sufticient and all-sufficient. " This is the God, whom we do love ! " This is the God, whom we adore ! " In him we trust.... to him we live ; " He is our all, for evermore. Now there ai-e three ways by which the perfections of God are discovered to the children of men : By his works, by his word, and by his spirit. By the two first, we see him to b<? what he is ; — by the last, we beholdhis infinite glory in being such : — The two first produce a speculativeknowledge ; the last, asense of moral beauty. First. These perfections of God are (Wscoxered hi/ his works, i.e. by his creating^ prcserxnng^ znd governing the world; and by his redeeming ^sanclifijing^ dxxd saving his people. 1. By his creating the -world. He it is, who has stretched abroad the heavens as a curtain, and spread them out as a tent to dwell in. ...who has created the sun, moon and stars, and appointed them their courses. ...who has hung the earth upon nothing.... who has fixed the mountains, and bounded the seas, and formed every living creature. All the heavenly hosts he hath made, and created all the nations that dwell upon the earth : and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and the fishes of the sea, and every creeping thing, are the works of his hands : and the meanest of his works are full of unsearchable wonders, far sui'passing our understanding : So that the invisible things cf God^ from the creation of the xvorld^ are clearly seen^ being understood by the things that are made., even his eternal power and Godhead : As St. Paul observes, in Jiom. i. 20. 2. By his preserving the rrorld. His eyes run to and fro throughout all the world, beholding every thing. His eyes are DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 19 upon all his works ; so that even the sparrows are not forgotten by him, and the very hairs of our head are all numbered : And he holds all things in being ; and the opening of his hand fills the desires of every living creature : even the whole family of heaven and earth live upon his goodness, and are maintained by his bounty : In a word, his infinite understanding sees all.. ..his infinite power upholds all. ...his infinite •wisdom takes care of. all, and his infinite goodness provides for all — and that every moment ; so that the invisible things of God are discovered in preserving as well as in creating the world : And hence, when the pious Psalmist meditates on the works oi creation and pres- ervation, he sees God in them, and views his perfections, and is touched at heart with a sense of his glory ; and is filled with high and exalted, and with admiring and adoring thoughts of God. So, Psalm xix. \....The hcavnis declare the glonj of the Lord^ he. And Psalm xcv. 1....0 come let tis sing unto the Lord^ &c. — Butwhv ? — Verse S...Fcr the Lord is a great God^ and a great King, above oil gods. — But how does this appear ? Why, (ver. 4, 5.) In his hand are the deep places of the earth ; the strength of the hills is his also : The sea is his, and he made it ; and his hands formed the dry land : Ver. 6...C, therrfcre, come let us worship and how doxvn ; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. And again, in Psal. xcvi. 1....0 sing unto the Lord a new song : sing unto the Lord, all the earth. — But why ? — Ver. 4.. .For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised : Heis to he feared above all gods. — But wherein does this appear ? — Why, (ver. 5.) All the gods of the nations are idols ; but the Lord made the heavens. And once more, in Psal. civ. 1, 2, he... .Bless the Lord, 0 7uy soul. — But why L... Thou art very great : thou art clothed with honor and majesty. — But how does this appear ? — Wh)-, Thou hast stretched out the heavens as a curtain. And ver. 5. ...And laid the foundations of the earth, that it cannot be removed for ever. And ver. '27. ...All wait upon thee, that thou viayest give them their meat in due stason. Ver. 28.... That thou givest them, they gather : thou ope nest thy hand, they are filed with good. — And throughout the whole Puulinhe is meditating 20 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND on the creation and preservation of the world ; and viewing the divine perfections therein discovered, and admiring the divine glory, and wondering and adoring ; and finally concludes with, Bltss the Lord^ 0 my soul : Praise ye the Lord. But 3. His perfections are still much more eminently displayed in that moral government which he maintains over the intelligent part of the creation ; especially his moral perfections. In the woi-ks of nature his natural perfections are to be seen : but, in his moral government of the world, he acts out his heart, and shews the temper of his mind : Indeed, all the perfections of God are to be seen in the work of creation, if we view angels and men, and consider what they were, as they came first out of his hands — ^holy and pure : But still God's conduct towards them, under the character of their King and Governor, more ev- identi}^ discovers the very temper of his heart. As the tree is known by the fruit, so God's moral perfections may be known by his moral government of the world. The whole world was created for a stage, on which a variety of scenes were to be open- ed ; in and by all which, God designed to exhibit a most exact image of himself : For, as God loves himself infinitely for be- ing what he is, so he takes infinite delight in acting forth and ex- pressing ail his heart. He loves to see his nature and image shine in all his works, and to behold the whole world filled with his glory ; and he perfectly loves to have his conduct, the whole of it taken together, an exact resemblance of himself ; and in- finitely abhors, in his public conduct, in the least to counteract the temper of his heart ; so as, bv his public conduct, to seem to be what indeed he is not : So that, in his moral government of the world, we may see his inward disposition, and discern the true nature of his moral perfections : And indeed all his perfections are herein discovered ; particularly, (1 .) His injiiiite understanding. High on his throne in heav- en he sits, and all his vast dominions lie open to his view : His all-seeing eye views all his courts above, and sees under the whole heavens, looks through the earth, and pierces all the dark caverns of hell ; so that his acquaintance with all worlds and all DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 21 things is absolutely perfect and complete : He can behold all the solemn worship of heaven, and the inmost thoughts of all that great assembly : he can behold all the sin, miser)' and con- fusion that overspread the whole earth, and the inmost temper of every mortal ; and look through hell, and see all the rebellion, and blasphemy, and cunning devices of those infernal fiends ; — and all this at one all-comprehending view: And thus, as high Gov- ernor of the whole world, he continually beholds all things ; whereby a foundation is laid for the exercise of all his other per- fections in his government over all. See the omniscience of God elegantly described in Psal. cxxxix. 1 — 12. And being perfectly acquainted with himself, as well as with all his crea- tures, he cannot but see what conduct from him towards them, will, all things considered, be most right, and fit, and amiable, and most becoming such an one as he is j and also what conduct from them to him is his due ; and their duty. By his infinite understanding, he is perfectly acquainted with right and wrong — with what is fit, and what unfit : And, by the moral rectitude of his nature, he infinitely loves the one and hates the other, and is disposed to conduct accordingly ; — of which more pres- ently. Psal. cxlvii. \.... Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God ; for it is pleasant^ and praise is comely. — But why ? — Ver. 5. ..Great is our Lord and of great power ; HIS UNDERSTANDING IS INFINITE. — But wherein does that ap- pear ? — ^Vhy, (ver. 4.) He telleth the number of the stars ; he calleth them all by their names. Now, if the infinite under- standing of God maybe seen in this one particular, much more is it in the regular ordering and disposingof all things, through- out the whole universe ; and that, not only in the natural^ but also in the moral world. (2) His infinite power is displayed in the government of the world : For he does according to his pleasure in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ; so that none can stay his hand, or hinder the execution of his designs. Have rebellions broken out in any part of his dominions ? — he has manifestly had the rebels entirely in his hands : They have lain 22 TRUr. KKLIGION DILlNrATED, AND absolutely at his mercy j and he has dealt with them according to his sovereign pleasure ; and none has been able to make any resistance ; nor has there been any to deliver them out of his hands. When rebellion broke out in heaven, he crushed the rebels in a moment : They fell beneath the weight of his hand ...they felt his power.. ..they despaired.. .they sunk to hell j and tlf^re he resei-ves them in chains ; nor can they stir from their dark abode, but by his special permission. And when rebel- lion broke out upon earth, the rebels were equally in his hands, and at his mercy, unable to make any resistance ; although he was pleased, in his infinite wisdom, to take another method with them : But he has since discovered his power, in treading down his implacable enemies, under foot, many a time : He destroyed the old world, burned Sodom., drowned Pharaoh and his hosts, and turned Nebuchadnezzar into a beast. If his en- emies have exalted themselves, yet he has been above them — brought them down ; and discovered to all the world that they are in his hands, and without strength, at his disposal : Or if he has suffered them to go on and prosper, and exalt themselves gi'eatly, yet still he has been above them, and has accomplished his designs by them, and at last has brought them down. — Haughty Nelmchadiiezzar^ when he had broken the nations to pieces, as if he had been the hammer of the whole earth, now thought himseM somebodi/ ; and Alexander the Great, when con- quering the world, aspired to be thought the son of Jupiter : But the most high God, the great and almighty Governor of the world, always had such scourges of mankind only as a rod in his hand, with which he has executed judgment upon a wicked world. Hoxvbeit, they meant not so., neither did their hearts think so : But it was in their hearts to gratify their ambition, avarice, and revenge. However, he was above them ; and always such have been, in his hands, as the ax is in the hands of him that hexueth therewith^ or as the saw is in the hands of him that shaketh it ; or as the rod is in the hand of him that lifteth it vp. And when he has done with the rod, he always breaks it and burns it : See Isaiah x. 5 — 19. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 23 And as this ^eat King has discovered his ahnighty power^ by crushing rebellions in his kingdom, and subduing rebels, so he has, also, in protecting his friends, and working deliverance for his people : He made a path for his people through the sea ; he led them through the wilderness : He gave them water to drink out of the rock ; and fed them with angels' food : In the day time he led them by a cloud, and all the night with the light of fire : He brought them to the promised land, and drove out the heathen before them ; and, in all their distresses, whenever they cried unto him, he delivered them : And as the supreme Governor of the world, in the days of old, did thus discover his almighty power in governing among his intelligent creatures, so he is still, in various ways and manners, in his providential dispensations, evidently discovering that he can do all things : And his people see it and believe it ; and admire and adore : — Read Psal. cv. (3.) Again, His injinite -wisdom is discovered in an endless variety of instances — in all his government thi-oughout all his dominions — in his managing all things to the glory of his Ma- jesty....to the good of his loyal subjects, and to the confusion of his foes. There has never any thing happened in all his do- minions, and never willj but has been, and shall be made entire- ly subservient to his honor and glory : Even the contempt cast upon him by his rebellious subjects, he turns to his greater glo- ry ; as in the case of P/Varac?/2, who set up himself against God, and said. Who is the Lord^ that I should obcij him 7 1 know not the Lord, nor rvill I let Israel go » And. he exalted himself, and dealt proudly and haughtily ; and hardened his heart, and was resolved he would not regax'd God, nor be bowed nor conquer- ed bj' him ; for he despised him in his heart: But the more he carried himself, as if there were no God, the more were tlie be- ing and perfections of God made manifest ; for the more he hardened his heart — the more stout and stubborn he was, the more God honored himsjif in subduing him : Yea, God, in his infinite wisdom, suffered him to be as high and haughtv — as »tout and stubborn as he pleased ; he took ofTall restraints from E tl4- TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND him — ^peraiitted the magicians to imitate the miracles oi Mo- sesy so that Pharaoh.^ in seeing, might not see, nor be convinced ; anil he ordered that the plagues should hist but for a short sea- son, that Pharaoh might have respite ; and thus it was that God hardened his heart : And God, in his infinite wisdom, did all this with a view to his own glory ; as he tells Pharaoh by the hand of JNIoses — "^ Such and such plagues I design to bring up- on you, and to do so, and so, with you." And^ indeed^for this cause have I raised thee iip^for to shew in thee my power ^ and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.. .^xod. ix. 16 : And, accordingh', God was illustriously honored, at last, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, at the Red Sea ; and the Egyptians^ and all the neighboring nations, were made to know that he was the Lord ; and his name became dreadful among the heathen : And we find that, in three or four hundred years after, the Philistines had not forgotten it ; for, when the ark^ in the days of £//, was carried into the camp of Israel^ the Philis- tines were sore afraid, and said, " God is come into the camp : Woe unto us : Who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty Gods ? These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness," &C....I Sam. iv. So God wisely ordered and over-ruled all things, that befel the children of Israel in the wilderness, to accomplish the ends he had in view : His designs were to get himself a great name, and fill the whole earth with his glory (Num. xiv. 21.) ; and to try and hu!\ible his people, and make them know, that it was not for their righteousness that he brought them into the land of Canaan^ {Deut. ix.) And every thing that came to pass, for those forty years, was admirably calculated to attain these ends. The news of PharaolU^ overthrow — of God's coming down upon Mount Sinai, in the presence of all Israel, and abiding there so long a time, with such awful majesty ; and of the pil- Jar of cloud by day, and of fire by night — of the manna — of the water flowing out of a rock, and following them — of their mur- murlngs and insiurections, and God's judgments upon them ; — I say, the news of iliese, and ©iher things of this nature, that DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERTEITS. 25 happened to them for those forty j^ears, flew all the v/orld over, and filled all the nations of the earth with the greatest astonish- ment ; and made them think there was no God like the God of /Araf/...(Numb. xiv. 13, 14, 15.) By all these things, and by God's bringing his people, at last, to the possession of the land of Canaan^ according to his promise, there was exhibited a spe- cimen of God's infinite knowledge, power, wisdom, holiness, jus- tice, goodness and truth ; and that before the eyes of all the na- tions : And so the whole earth was filled with his glory ; i. e. with the clear manifestations of those perfections in which his glory consists. And thus his great end was obtained : And, in the mean time, all the wanderings, and trials, and sins, and sorrows of the childien oi hrael^ together with all the wonder- ful works which their eyco beheld, and wherein God discover- ed himself for those forty years, had a natural tendency to try them, to humble them, and break their hearts ; and make them know, that, not for their righteousness, nor for the uprightness of their hearts, did God, at last, shew them that great mercy : and to convince them of the exceeding gi-eat obligations they were under to love, and fear, and serve the Lord forever. And so, the other great end which God had in view was accomplish- ed....Z)f?^/. viii. ix. 8c X. chap. — And nov/, all these things v/ere by God Vvisely done ; and in this his conduct, his infinite wisdom is to be seen.* — And thus it is in all God's dispensations, throughout all his dominions, witii regard to the whole universe in general, and to every intelligent creature in particular. His * If God had so ordered that Ahrahatn had been born in the land of Cuiuiun, an^l his postcrii-y had imiltipiied greaLiy, and the other nations, gradually, by sicknesses and wars, had wasted away and come to nothing, un'il there were none but the posterity ot" Abraham left, and they had filled the land, God's hand then would not have been seen. ...none of these txcellent ends attained. ...all would huve been res )lved into natural causes. Therefore God contrived where Abraham should be born — how he should leave liis own ountry — have v. promise of the land of Cavaau ; and ho-./ his s;cd should conic to be in E^ypt — come to be in )i;reat bonda^je and dis- tress ; how he would send, and how he uould deliver them, r.tid how ihcy should carry themselves, and what should happen ; and how every thinj should turn out at last : he laid the v. h ile plan, with a view to those ex- cellent ends his eye was ujion. It was wi^uly contrived, and, when it can.e to be acted over, his iuiinitti wi!^dom \va:. discovered. 26 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND works are all done in wisdom ; and so his infinite v.-isdom is discovered in all : And hence God appears infinitely glorious in the eyes of his Tpeople....Deut. xxxii. 3, 4. — Fsal. civ. 24, & cv. 1,45. — I Cor. \. 24; 31. ' (4.) Again, His infinite purity and holiness is also discover- ed in his government of the world — in all that he has done to establish right^ and discountenance tvrong^ throughout all his do- minions. His creating angels and men in his own image, with his law written on their hearts, manifested his disposition, and showed what he was pleased with : But his public conduct, as moral Governor of the world, has more evidently discovered the very temper of his heart ; and shewn how he loves right and hates wrongs to an infinite degree. Governors, among men, discover much of their disposition, and show what they love and what they hate, by their laws ; and they show how fervent their love and hatred is, by all the methods they take to enforce them ; and so does the great Governor of the world : By his laws — by his promises and threatenings — by his past conduct, and declared designs for the future, he manifests how he loves moral good and hates moral evil. By his infinite understanding, he is perfectly acquainted with himself, and with all his intelligent creatures ; and so perfectly knows what conduct in him towards them is right, fit and ami- able, and such as becomes such a one as he is ; and also, perfectly knows what conduct in his creatures towards him, and towards each other, is fit and amiable, and so their duty. He sees what is right, and infinitely loves it, because it is right : He sees what is wrong, and infinitely hates it, because it is wrong ; and, in his whole conduct, as Governor of the world, he appears to be just what he is at heart — an infinite friend to right, and an infinite enemy to wrong. He takes state. ...sets up himself as a Gop....bicls all the world adore him, love and obey him, with all their hearts — and that upon pain of eternal damnation, in case of the least defect ; and promises eternal life and glory, in case of perfect obedience. This is the language of his law, Thou shalt love the Lord thy DISTINGUISHED TROM ALL COUNTERI EIT8. 27 Godxvlth all thy hearty and thy neighbor as thyself : Do this, and live ; disobey, and die. And now all that infinite esteerti for himself, and infinite regard for his own honor, which he here- in tnanifests, does not result from a proud or a selfish spirit ; for there is no such thing in his nature : Nor does he threaten dam- nation for sin, because it hurts him ; or promise eternal life to obedience, because it does him any good : for he is infinitely above us, and absolutely independent of us, and cannot recei^ c advantage or disadvautge from us.... Job xxii. 2, 3. and xxxV. 6, 7. But it results from the infinite holiness of his nature. He loves and honors himself as he does, because, since he is what he is, it is right and fit he should : He bids the world adore love and obey him with all their hearts, because, considering what he is, and what they are, it is infinitely fit and right : He commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, because this al- so, in the nature of things, is right : And while he promises eternal life to the obedient, and threatens eternal damnation to the disobedient, he shows how infinitely he loves righte usness and hates iniquity. His promising eternal life and glory to perfect obedience, does indeed manifest the infinite goodness and bountifulness of his nature ; but then his promising all, un- der the notion of a rexvard^ discovers this temper of his heart ....his infinite love to right. As to all his positive injunctions, they are evidently designed to promote a conformity to the moral law. And as to the mor- al law, it is originally founded upon the very reason and nature of things. The duties required therein are required, original- ly, because they are right in themselves ; And the sins forbid- den, are forbidden, originally, because they are unfit and wrong in themselves. The intrinsic fitness of the things required, and the intrinsic unfitness of the things forbidden, was the original ground, reason and foundation of his law. Thus, he bids all the world love him with all their hearts, because he is the Lord their God ; and love one another as brethren, because they are all children of the same common father, having the same nature. He requires this supreme love to himself, mid this mutual love 28 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND . among his subjects, because it is right that so it should be ; and because he perfectly loves that the thing that is right should be done.. ..and not from any advantage that can possibly accrue vxnto him from the behavior of his creatures. And he forbids the contrary, because it is wrong, and therefore infinitely hateful in his sight.. ..and not because it could be any disadvantage to him. — All the glory and blessedness which he bestows upon the angels in heaven, under the notion of a reward to their obedienccy is not because their obedience does him any good ; for it does not : nor because they deserve any thing from his hands ; for they do not : (Rom. xi. 35, 36. J but merely because it is right that they should, in all things, obey him : This is what he loves, and what he delights to honor : And all the innnite, eternal glories of heaven can but just serve as a sufficient testimony of his approbation. — So, on the other hand, it vi^as not in a passion, or from sudden, rash revenge, (which many times influences sinful men to cruel and barbarous deeds), that he turned those that sinned down to hell ; and, for their first offence, doomed them to everlasting woe, without the least hope ; for there is no such thing in his nature. As he is not capable of being injured, as we are, so neither is he capable of such anger as we feel. No : the thing they did was in itself infinitely wrong, and that was the true and only cause of his infinite displeasure ; which infinite displeasure he meant to declare and make known in the sight of all worlds, throughout the endless ages of eternity, by rendering to them according to their deserts : For \\c loves to appear as great an enemy to sin, in his conduct, as he is in his heart. He loves to act out his heart, and exhibit a true image of himself. His infinite love of righteousness and hatred of in- iquity, is also displayed in his promising eternal life and bless- edness to Adam and to all his race, a whole world of beings, as a rexvard to the obedience of iidara — by him constituted public head and representative, on the one hand ; and threateningeter- nal destruction to him and all his race, a whole v;orld of beings, in case of the least transgression, on the other hand. But his infinite love to righteousness, and hatred of iniquity, is manifest- DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUKTERFEITS. 29 ed in the greatest perfection, in the death of Jesus Christ, his on- ly begotten son : But of this more afterwards. — In a word, all the blessings which he has granted to the godly in this world, as rewards of their virtue. ...to Abel^ Enoch, and Noah... .10 Lot.... to Abraham^ Isaac a.nd Jacob^hc. and all the judgments which he has executed upon the wicked.. ..his turning Adamovx of par- adise...drowning the old world.. ..burning Sodom., &c. together with all the evils which bcfel the children of Israel., in the wil- derness— in the time of the judges — in the reigns of their kings ....and their long captivity in Babylon., &c. have all been public testimonies that the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity. — And, in heaven and in hell, he designs to dis- play, to all eternity, in the most glorious and dreadful manner, how infmit-ily he loves righteousness and hates iniquity. Now when true bolicvers, who are divinely enlightened, med- itate on and view the laws, the conduct, and tlie declared designs of the great Governor of the world, they love, admire and adore, and say. Holy., holy., holy.. Lord God of hosts., the -whole xuorld is full of thy glory. This divine disposilion, to love righteous- ness and hate iniquity, which the great Governor of the world thus discovers in all his government, appears infinitely beautiful and glorious, excellent, and amiable in their eyes : Whence they are ready to say. Who is like unto thee., 0 Lord., amon^ the gods? Who is like unto thee., glorious in holi7U'ss, &tc....As they do in E.xod. XV. 11.* * If \vc should suppose (as some do), that there is nothintj right or 'arorg antecedent to a considcraLicn of the positive kUl and luii: ci God, the great governor of the world ; and that light and vjro/ig result, originally, from his sovereign luilt and absolute authority entiitly, ilien these ab^^urdiiies would unavoidably follow : 1. That the moral perfections vf God are empty nair.es. T.itboi/t any signiji- cotion at all. For if tliere be no intrinKic moral iiu.css and unfitness in things, no right nor wrong, then there is no such thing as vioral beauty or moral def'urmity ; and so, no foundation, in the nature of thir.gs, for any moral propensity ,- i. e. there is nothing for Gcd to love or ha'e, considered as a moral ager.t. There cr.n be no inclination or disposition in him to love right and h.uc wrong, if there be no such thing as righi or wrong. So tliat the only idea we could frame of God, would be iliat of an almighty, des- potic sovereign, who makes his own w ill his oi.!;. rule, without any regard to right or wrong, goodor evil, just or unjust. ...an idea of the inlinitely glorious and ever-blessed God, evidently a^ contrary to tru.h as can be devised. .,. 1 /3at, 30 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND (5.) His impartial justice is also discovered in his moral gov- ernment of the world. He appears, in his public conduct, as one infinitely engaged to give to every one his due, and as one jtbsolutely governed by a spirit of the most perfectly disinterest- ed impartiality : He appears as one infinitely engaged to main- tain the rights of the Godhead, and to secure that glory to the divine Being that is his proper due ; and that by the law which he has established, in heaven and on earth, binding all to love, worship and obey him, as God, upon pain of eternal damnation 3 And so, again, he appears as one infinitely engaged to secure all his subjects here upon earth in a quiet and peaceable posses- sion of their own proper rights; and that by strictly enjoin- 2. That, in the nature of things , there is 710 'inorc reason to love and obey God, than there is to hate and disobey him : there being, in the nature of things, no right nor wrong. Just as if God was not infinitely worthy of our highest esteem and most perfect obedience ! andjust as if, in the nature of things, there was no reason why we should love and obey hiin, but merely because he is the greatest and strongest, and says we must .' than which nothing can be more evidently absurd. But if these things are so, then it will fellow, 3. That there is no reason why he should require his creatures to love and obey him, or forbid the contrary ; or ivhy he should reward the one, or punish the other : there being, in the nature of things, no right nor wrong : and so the foXnidation of God's lav/ and government is overturned, and all religion torn up by the roots ; and nothing is left but arbitrary tyranny and servile subjection....all expressly contrary to Gen. xviii. 25 — Heb. i. 9 — Eph.v\.l — Roiyi.xW.l — i?eD.iv.ll — Rom. vii.l2 — i?07?i. ii. 4, 5, 6 — Rev. xix. 1, 6 — Ezeh. xviii. 25. Or again, if we should suppose (as others do), that there is nothing right or 'arong, antecedent to a consideration of the general good of the whole systeiTi of intelligent created beings ; and that right and ivrong result, ori- ginally and entirely, from the natural tendency of things to promote, or hinder the general good of the whole : then, also, these manifest absurdities will unavoidably follow : 1. That the moral perfections of God entirely consist in, or result froon a dis- position to love his creatures supreviely, and seek their happiness as his only end .• just as if it became the inost high to make a God of his creatures, and himself their servant ! expressly contrary to Ro^ji. xi. 36 — Nximb. xiv— Rev. iv. 11. 2. That God loves virtue and rewards it, merely because it tends to make his creatures happy ; and hates vice and punishes it, 'inerely becai:se it tends to make his creatures mi-ierable : just as if he had no regard to the rights of the Godhead, nor cared how much contempt was cast upon the glorious ma- jesty of Heaven ! expressly contrary to iJx'oi/. xxxii. — Nai7ib.xiv. — I Sa')n- ii. 29, 30—11 Sam. xii. 10, U—Fsalvi li. 4. 3. That he requires us to love and obey him, onerely because it tends to inake . us happy, andforbids the contrary onerely because it tends to make us nniserable ; just as if he had no sense of clie infinite glory and excellency of his nature, and our infinite obligations to love and obey him thence arising ! and just as if he thought it no crime in us, to treat him with the greatest contempt ! and DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 31 ing every one to love his neighbor as himself, and always do as he would be done by, and that upon pain of eternal damna- • tion....G'fl/. iii. 10. — Dent, xxvii. 26. And he appears as one governed by a spirit of the most perfectly disinterested impar- tiality, in that he spared not the angels that sinned, who were some of the noblest of all his creatures ; and in that he is deter- mined not to sfxire impenitent sinners at the day of judgment, tiiough they cry ever so earnestl}' for mercy ; but, above all, in that he spared not his only begotten Son, whin he stood in the room of sinners. If ever any poor, guilty wretch, round the world, feels tempted to think that God is cruel for damning sin- ners, and does not do as he would be done by, if he was in their case, and they in his,let him come away to the cross of Christ, and and just as if nothing could raise his resentment but merely the injury done to ourselves ! expressly contrary to Numb. xiv. — II Sam. xii. 10, 14, &.c. 4. That Hve are under no obligations to love God, but merely becavse it tends to mate us happy ; and that it is no crime to hate and blacpheme God, but merely because it tends to make us miserable. But it' so, then the misery which naturally results from hating and blaspheming God, is exactly equal to the crime ; and therefore no positive inflicted punishment is deserved in this world, or in that which is to come. And, therefore, all the punish- ments which God intiicts upon sinners in this world, and forever in HeU^ are entirely undeserved : and so his law and government, instead of being holy, just and good, are infinitely unreasonable, tyrannical and cruel. — To say, that God punishes some of his sinful creatures, merely to keep others in awe, whenas they do not, in the least, deserve any punishment, is to suppose the great Governor of the world to doevil, that good may come ; and yet, at the same time, to take the most direct course to render himself odi.jus throughout all his dominions. It is impossible to accouj\t for the punish-' ments which God has inflicted upon sinners in this world, and designs to inflict upon them forever in hell, without sujiposing that there is anir.tniite evil in sin, over and above what results from its natural tendency to make us miserable : and that, therefore, we are under iufiiiite obligations to love and obey God, antecedent to any consideration of its tendency tom.ake us happy. From all which, it is evident, to demonstration, that rielit and wrong do neither result from the mere will and law of God, nor from any tend- ency of things to promote or hinder the happiness of God's creatures. It remains, therefore, that there is an intrin-.ic moral fitness and unfitness, absolutely in things themselves : as that we should love the inHnitely glorious God, is, in the nature of things, infinitely fit and right ; and to hate and blaspheme him, is, in the nature of tViings, infinitely unlit and v/rong : and that, antecedent to any consideration of advantage or diiadvau-age, reward or punishment, or even of tho will or lav.- of God. And hence it is, that God infinitely loves right, and hates wrong, and appear.^ so liiiinite- ly engaged to reward the one, and punish the other. And heiice, his la'.T and government are holy, just and good... .they are glorious ; and in and by them the infinite glory of the divine nature shines forth... /iiv. vl. .3. — Rev. iv. 8 — Hcv. xix. 1 — 6. 02. TRUE R.ELIGIOK I)ELIK£ATED, ANB seb God's own Son, his second self, there nailed up, naked, bleeding, groaning, dying, in the greatest possible contempt, ig- nominy and shame, before ten thousand insulting, blood-thirsty spectators ; and lethim know that this Jesus is God — a person of infinitely greater dignit)- and worth than all creature&in heav- en and earth put together, and infinitely dear to the great Gov- ernor of the v/oricl, even just as dear as his own self, and upon whom he would not lay these sufferings any sooner than upon himself; — I say, let him stand, and look, and gaze, and learn that God does exactly as he would be done by, when he damns sinners to all eternity, were he in their case, and they in his (if I may.so say, when speaking of the most high God), since that for his own Son, a person of infinite dignity, to suffer all these things, is equivalent to the eternal torments of finite creatures : Indeed, it was not because he was not a Being of infinite good- ness, that he treated his own Son so ; nor is it because he has no regard to his creatures' happiness, that he designs to damn the finally impenitent ; but it is merely because sin is an infinite evil, and, according to strict justice, worthy of an infinite pun- ishment : It is right and fit that he should do as he does, and therefore his conduct will forever appear infinitely glorious and beautiful in the eyes ofall holy beings. Psalm xcvi, 11, 12, 13 ....Let the heavens rejoice^ and let the earth be glad : Let the sea roar^ and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joy fid^ and all that is therein : Then shall all the trees of the xvood rejoice before the Lor'd : For he cometh^ for he Cometh to judge the earth : He shall judge the xvorld with righteousness^ and the people xvith his truth. See also Rev. xix. 1 — 6. (6.) His infinite goodness is also discovered in his government of the world ; for all the laws of this great and good Governor are suited in their own nature to advance all his subjects to the highest perfection they are capable of. His law teaches us to ^ iew all th'mgs just as they are, and to have our will and affec- tions entirely governed by the truth — by tlie very reason and na- ture of things : And so to be according to the measure of such finite creaturt-s, in our wills and in the temper of our minds, after DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEns. SS the image of the blessed and glorious God, M-hich is the highest dignity and perfection we are possibly capable of. When CTod commands us to be holy as he is holy, he enjoins that as our duty which at the same time is our highest possible privilege. He bids us be like the angels, and begin our heaven upon earth ; yea, even to participate of a glor\" and blessedness of the same nature with that which he himself enjoys : To behold his glo- fy....to be ravished with his beauty. ...to esteem him supremely, live to him entirely, and delight in him superlatively, and to be- tome like him in our views of things, and in the temper of our minds, is our highest dignity, glory, and excellency, and our highest blessedness : And, besides, his laws arc still further cal- culated to promote the welfare of his subjects, in that they are suited to establish universal love, peace and harmony, through- out al; his dominions. Love thy neighbor os thi/self, is one of the fundamental laws of his kingdom ; And were his authority duly regarded, and his laws obeyed, love, and peace and hai'mo- nv, with all their happy and blessed effects, would reign through all the earth, as they do in heaven ; and paradise would not be confined to Eden, nor to heaven, but be all over the world. And the wrath of this good Governor is only revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, v. hich are the ru- in and debasement of our nature, and the destruction of our peace and happiness. He threatens damnation to his subjects, to keep them from destroying themselves, as weil as to deter them from affronting his Majesty. All the dreadful thrcaten- ings of his law result not only from his holiness and justice, but also from the infinite goodness of his nature ; in that hereby Ivis subjects are mercifully forwamed of the e\il and bitter conse- quences of sin, to the end they may avoid it. He is a perfect enemy to hatred and revenge — to ci-uelty and injustice : He cannot bear to see the v/idow or fatherless oppressed, or the poor despised, or the miserable insulted, or any evil thing done among his subjects : And therefore this good Govenior has threatened tribulation and anguish, indignation and wrath, against ever soul Uiat doth evil ; aud, with all hh authority. 34 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND has commanded his subjects, through all this world, upon pain of eternal damnation, to do as they would be done by. And then, still further to engage his subjects to that in which their greatest glory and blessedness consists, he, in his law, promises eternal life to the obedient : wherein the infinite boun- tifulness of his nature, as well as his unspeakable concern for his creatures' welfare is discovered. And if we survey his conduct towards mMikind, from the be- ginning, we may, in ten thousand instances, see the infinite good- ness of his nature displayed. If we consider what his ways have been towards an apostate world — ^liow he has given his Son to be a Redeemer, and his spirit to be a sanctiher — how he has sent all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending ; and that notwithstanding he knew beforehand what treatment he would meet with from a guilty, ungrateful, God-hating world —how they would murder his Son, resist his spirit, and kill his messengers : if we consider how patient, and forbearing, and long-suffering he has been towards obstinate sinners — how loth to give them over ; swearing by himself that he delights not in their death, but rather that they turn and live ; even while they have contemned and affronted him in the vilest manner : and if we consider his distinguishing favors towai'ds his elect, and the marvellous things which he has wrought for his church and peo- ple ; — I say, if we consider these things, and, at the same time, look round the world and behold the innumerable common fa- vors strewed abroad among guilty, hell-deserving rebels, we must be forced to own, that he is good to all, and that his ten- der mercies are over all his works. His goodness, indeed, is evidently as unbounded as his power. There is no act of kindness, which his omnipotency is able to do, but that there is goodness enough in his heart to prompt him to do it, if, all things considered, it is best to be done : His propensi- ty to do good is full)' equal to his abilitj% All the treasvires and good things of this lower world are his, and he gives all to the children of men ; and we should have enjoyed all, without the least sorrow intermixed, had not our sin and apostacy made i)ISTIN>CUlSHEiP rROJVI. ALL CQUI^TSRFEITS. 55 it necessary for him, to give some testimony of his displeasure ; and yet, even the calamities of life are well adapted, in our pres- ent state, to do us good. All the treasures and glories of heav- en are his, and he offers all to a guilty world, and actually gives all to such as are willing to accept of all, through the mediator^ in the way prescribed — and what can he give more ? Can he ^ive his only begotten son to die for sinners ? Behold, he has a heart to do it ! Can he give his holy spirit to recover poor sinners toGod ? Behold, he has a heart to do it.. ..is as ready to give his hoi}- spirit to them that ask, as parents are to give bread to dieir children ! And,iinally, can he, in any sense, give himself to his creatures ? Behpld, he is willing to do so.. ..to be .their God, and father, and portion, and be all things to them, and do all things for them, if they will but accept of him through Jesus Christ ! So that, as I said, his propensity to do good is fully equal to his ability : And there is no doubt but that he does show all those kindnesses to his intelligent creatures, which, all things considered, are best should be shown. And his understanding is infmite, whereby he is able to determine exactly what is best in the whole. Thy mercy^ 0 Lord^ is in the heavens ; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds : How excellent is thy loving kindness, 0 God ! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. ...V&^^xa. .xxxvi. 5, 7. And such is the goodness of his nature, and so much good- ness has he in his heart, that he needs no motive to excite him to do good ; /. e. nothing from without : Thus, unmoved and un- excited by any thing from without himself, of his own mere goodness, he did, in the days of eternity, determine to do all that good, which ever will by him be done, to all eternity, when there was nothing existing but himself, and so nothing to move him but his own good pleasure : Yea, such is the goodness of his nature, that he not only needs no motive irom without to excite him to do good, but even then, when there are all things to the contrary — even every thing in his creatures to render them ill-deserving, and to discourage and hinder his shewing mercy, 36 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND ^ and to provoke him to wrath — even then, when 'discourage- ments are infinitely great, and provocations are innumerable ; yea, when there is nothing in his creature hut what is of the na- ture of a provocation — even, in such a case, he can show; mer- cy ; yea, the greatest of mercies. He can give his son t<5 die for such, and his holy spirit to sanctify them, and himself at last to be their God and father, and everlasting portion : Such is the in- comparable goodness of his nature. Who is a God like unto thee ! hc....Mic. vii. 18, 19. — But then he is atliberty,in such cases, and may act according to his own discretion, and have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and have compassion on whom he will have compassion ; and, truly, it is infinitely fit he should. To act sovereignly, in such cases, is infinitely becom- ing ; and, indeed, it is fit he should dispense all his favors ac- cording to his sovereign pleasure : It is fit he should do what he will with his own. He knows best how to exerdse Ms owrt goodness, and it is perfectly fit that he should be at liberty, and act accbrding to his own discretion. ...according to the counsel of his own will. And because it is infinitely fit, therefore he ac- tually does so....Eph. i. 11. He passed by the angels that sin- ned, and pitied sinful men ; he passed by the rest of the world, and chose the seed of Abraham ; he suffers thousands of sin- ners to go on in their sins and perish, and, in the mean time, seizes here and there one by his all-conquering grace, and effec- tually saves them ; and all according to his sovereign pleasure, because it seems good in his sight so to do. And the reason why he acts sovereignly, is because, in the nature of things, it is fit he should ; therefore, his sovereignty is a holy and a glorious sovereignty. Hence, when Moses desired to see his glory ^ he discovered this nntohxm... .Exod. xxxiii. 12. And because our Savior saw how fit and becoming it was for God to act as a sovereign, in bestowing his favors, therefore he saw a glory in his sovereignty, and so rejoiced in it.... Mat. xi. 25,26. And sovereign grace is glorious grace in the eyes of every one who views things aright, and has aright frame of heart. Consid- ering that all God has is his otyn....that he knows infinitely the DISTINQUMHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 37 best what to do with what he has.. ..th?it there can be no moti'ct from without to excite him to act, it is infinitely fit he should be left to himself, to act according to his own discretion ; and it is infinite impudence for a worm of the dust to intermeddle or go about to direct the almighty and infinitely wise God ; and it is infinite wickedness to dislike his conduct, and find fault with his dispensations. Indeed, if there was nothing of greater worth and importance than the happiness of his creatures and subjects, and so nothing that he ought to ha\x a greater regard to and concern for, there it is not to be supposed that any of his creatures and subjects would be finally miserable. The infinitely good Governor of tlie world has a great regard to the happiness of his subjects : their welfare is very dear to him, and their misery, in itself, or for its own sake, very undesirable in his sight ; yet he has so much greater regard to something else, that, in some instances, he actually does suffer sinners to go on in their sins and perish forever ; yea, he will inflict the eternal torments of hell upon them. The goodness of God is a holy, wise and rational good- ness, and not an unreasonable fondness : He will never do a wrong thing, to oblige any of his creatures : no, he had rather the whole world should be damned ; yea, that even his own Son should die : Nor will he ever communicate good to any one, when, all things considered, it is not best and wisest. When he first designed to create the world, and first laid out his whole scheme of governi"qent, as it was easy for him to have determin- ed, that neither angels nor men should ever sin, and that misery should never be heard of in all his dominions, so he could ea- sily have prevented both sin and misery. Why did he not ? — Surely, not for want of goodness in his nature ; for that is infi- nite : — not from any thing like cruelty ; for there is no such thing in him : — not for want of a suitable regard to the happiness of his creatures ; for that he always has : But it was because, in his infinite wisdom,he did not think it best in the v.'hole. It was not because he had not sufficient power to preserve angels and Mien all holy and happy ; for it is certain he had : — it was not be- 38. TRUE' REHOI^N DELINEATED, AiHb cause preventing grace- viroiikl have been inconsistent with their being free agents j for it -would not : — it was not because he did not thoroughly consider and weigh the thing with all its conse- quences ; for it is certain he did : But, upon the whole, all things considered, he judged it best to permit the angels to sin and man to fall ; and so let misery *nter into his dominions. It did not come to pass accidentally and unawares, and contrary to what God had ever thought of or intended ; because it is cer- tain that he knew all things from the beginning ; and it is certain that, in an affair of such a nature, and of such consequence, he could not staiid by as an idle, unconcerned spectator, that cares not which way things go. There is no doubt, therefore, but that, all thing^ considered, he thought it best to permit things to come to- passjust as they did : And, if he thought it best, it was best ;■ for his understanding is infinite — his wisdom unerring, and so he ^annes'er be mistaken. But why was it best ? What could he have in view preferable to the happiness of his crea- tures ? And if their happiness v/as to him above all things most dear, how could he bear the thoughts of their ever, any of them, being miserable ? — Why, it is certain he thought it best ; and therefore it is certain he had a view to something else besides merely the happiness of his creatures — to something of greater importance, and more worthy to bear a governing sway in his mind, by which it became him to be above all things influenced, in laying out and contriving how things should proceed and be disposed in the world he designed to create. But what was that thing which was of greater worth and im- portance, and so more worthy to bear a governing sway in his mind, and to which he had the greatest regard, making all oth- er things give way to this ? What was his^ra;? J en^ in creating and governing the world ? W^hy, look. ...what end he is at last like to obtain, when the whole scheme is finished, and the day of judgment past, and heaven and hell filled with all their pro- per inhabitants : And what will be the final result ? What will he get by all ? Why, in all, he will exert and display every one of his perfections to the life, and so, by all, will exhibit a most DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 39 perfect and exact image of himself. And how, as he is infinite- ly glorious in being what he is, therefore that scheme of conduct which is perfectly suited to exhibit the most lively and exact image of him, must be infinitely glorious too : And, therefore, this is the greatest and best thing he can aim at in all his works ; and this, therefore, ought to be his last end. Now, it is evi- dent that the fall of the angels and of man, together with all those things which have and will come to pass in consequence thereof, and occasioned tliereby, from the beginning of the world to the day of judgment, and throughout eternity, will sej;ve to give a much more lively and perfect representation of God, than could possibly have been exhibited, had there never been any sin or misery. The holiness and justice — the goodness, mercy, and grace of God shine much more brightly : They have been displayed with an astonishing lustre and glory in the death of Christ, and will be displayed forever in heaven and in hell, as they could not have been, had not ^in and misery ever been per- mitted to enter into God's world : Indeed, if, in the natui"e of things, it had been wrong for Go^ to have permitted any of his creatures to sin, and then to punish them for it — if God had been bound in duty, or in goodness, to keep them from sin, or to save them when they had sinned, then the case had been oth- erwise : But since, in the nature of things, it was fit he should be at liberty, and act according to his own discretion ; and since the end he had in view was so noble and godlike, his conduct in this affair was infinitely right, fit and becoming, and so infi- nitely glorious. Certainly God thought it was so, or he would not have done as he did ; and therefore, if we view things as God did, and have a temper and frame of heart like unto his, we shall think so too : And, as I said before, it is homd pride and impudence for us to pretend to know better than the infinite- ly wise God, and infinite wickedness for us to pretend to find fault with his conduct.... i?o;/7. ix. 19 — 23.* Thus, if he had • Onj....But surely it could not be consistent with the divine goodness, from all eternity, to decree the everlasting misery of his creatures. Axs. G 40 tRU£ RELIGION DELINEATED, AND aimed merely -at the happiness of his creatures, he could easily have so ordered that Pharaoh should willingly have let Israel go, and he could have led Israel in less than forty days to the promised land, and put them into an immediate possession ; but there was something else which he had a greater regard to ; and therefore Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and all his won- ders are wrought in the land of Egypt. The tribes of Israel march to the borders of the Red-Sea..., the sea parts.. ..Israel goes through, but the Egyptians are drowned. And now Is- rael i^ tempted and tried, and they sin and rebel, and so are doomed to wander forty years in the wilderness, and to have their carcases fall there. And why was all this ? Why, because his design was to display all his perfections, and fill the whole earth with his glory. ..£.\W. ix. 16 — Nwnb. xiv. 2U And now, because it is the most noble thing that God can have in view, to act forth all his perfections to the life, and so exhibit the most exact representation of himself in his works ; therefore, it is in- finitely fit he should make this his last end, and all other things subservient ; and his conduct in so doing is infinitely beauti- ful and glorious. Thus we see how the goodness of'God isdis- plaj-ed in his government of the world, and see that it is an un- bounded, rich, free goodness ; and that all the exercises of it are sovereign, and under the direction of his infinite vi^isdom : so that God is infinitely glorious on the account of this perfec- tion of his nature.. ..Z,",vc<^. xxxiii. 19. h xxxiv. 5, 6, 7. — jRom. ix—Eph. i. 1—12. (7) His unchangeable truth and faithfulness are also disco^'- cred in his government of the world ; and that in the fulfilment of his promises, and the execution of his threatenings. Did he Axs....God has in fact permitted sin to enter into the woi-ld — does in fact permit many to die in their sins — will in fact pimish them forever ; and all consistent with the infinite goodness of his nature, as every one must acknowledge. And since it is consistent with his goodness to do as he doe^, it was consistent with his goodness, to determine with himself be- forehand to do so .-...What God, from eternity, decreed to do, that God, in titue, will do : therefore, if a/l God's conduct be holy, just and good, so also arc all his decrea- ,- unless we can 6uj)pose it to be wrong for the infi- nitely wise God, from all eternity, to determine upon a conauct in all res- pects r/4/jt •• tban which nothing can be more absurd. DISTINGUISHED iROM ALL COUN i ERl tITS. 41 promise to be Abraham's God ? So hfi was. Did he promise to give the land of Canaan to his seed for an inheritance ? So he did. Did he promise to send his Son into the world, and to set him up a kingdom upon earth ? Even so he has done : And he is in like manner true and faithful to all his promises, which he has made to his people. And did he threaten to drown the old world... .to make Israel wander forty years in the wilder- ness....to deliver them into the hands of their enemies, at what time soever they shoiUd forsake hjnti, and go and serve other gods, and, fmully, to send them captives into Babylon for sev- enty years ? Even so he has done. God's word may always be depended upon ; for what he designs, that he says ; and what Ke says, that he will do. And this is another of the glorious perfections of his nature. Thus all the perfections of God, are discovered in his gov- ernment of the world. By his conduct we may see what he is, and learn the very temper of his heart. And now, I might go through his other works. ...his redeeming, justifying, sanctify- ing sinners,.and bringing them to eternal glor)' at last,andshew how his glorious perfections shine forth in them. But I have already hinted at some of these things, and shall have occasion afterwards to view the divine perfections shining forth in these works of God, when I come to consider the nature of the gos- peL Sufficient has been said to answer my present purpose ; and,thcrcfore,for brexity's sake, I will proceed no furdier here. Thus, then, we see how tlie perfections of God are manifested in his tvorks. Secondly. The same representation is made of God in his word: For these great works of God. ...his creating, preserv- ing and governing the world. ...his redeeming, sanctifying and saving simiers, are the suijject-matter of all the Bible. God, in his works, acts out his perfections, and, in his word, lays th;; whole before our eves in v/riiing. Therein he has told us what he has done, and what he intends to do ; and so has delineated his glorious perfections in tiie plainest manner. In his -icord^ God has revealed himself ho the cb.ildren of men. ...has manliest- 42 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND >■ ed and shewn what he is. But how ? Why, by declaring and holding forth his works, as that in which he has exhibited the image of himself. Thus, the scriptures begin with an accovmt of God's creating the world, and goes on throughout all the Old Testament, informing how he preserves and governs it : Andj then, in the New Testament, we are informed more particularly how he redeems, justifies, sanctifies, and saves sinners. And now, as the actions of a man discover the temper and disposi* tion of his heart, and shew what he is, so the works of God, from first to last, all taken together, hold forth an exact repre- sentation of himself. If we will begin with God's creating the world, and survey all his conduct in the li^ht of scripture.... his conduct towards man before the fall, and after the fall.. ..his con- duct towards Abel and Cain, Enoch and Noah, and all the old world.. ..his conduct towards Lot and Sodom — towards Abra- ham, Isaac and Jacob, and Joseph — towards the children of Is- rael, in Egypt, at the Red-Sea, in the wilderness, at Sinai, at Massah, at Taberah, &c....and in the times of Joshua, of their Judges, of their Kings, &c. and then come into the New Testament, and survey his conduct with relation to the redemp- tion and salvation of sinners, and then look forward to the great judgment-day, and see his whole scheme finished.. ..see the re- sult, the conclusion and end of all ; look up to heaven and take a view of that woi-ld, and look down to hell and survey the state of things there ; from the whole we may see what God is : for, in the whole, God exerts his nature, and, by the whole, God de- signs to exhibit an exact representation oi himself . And, then, are our apprehensions of God rights and according to truthy when we take in that very representation which be has made of himself : And now to account him infinitely glorious in being what he is, and to love him ivith all our hearts., because he is what he is, is the very thing which the law of God requires. And, indeed, so plain is that representation which God has made of himself, by his works and in his Vv^ord ; and he is really so infinitely glorious in being what he is, that were not mankind, through their exceeding great depravity, entirely void of a right DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 4i taste and relish for true beautify they could not but be even raw ished with the divine Being. They would naturally feel as they do in heaven, and naturally speak their language, Hcli/y holy^ holy^ is the Lord of hosts ; the xvhole earth is ft ill of his glory ! ..,.Jsai. vi. 3. But such is the vile temper of sinful, apostate creatures, that they are not only blind to the moral excellency of the divine nature, but are even in a stated, habitual contrari- ety to God in the frame of their hta.ns....Ro7u. \\u. 7. And hence, the manifestation which God has made of himself, can fmd no place in their hearts.... J' o/m viii. ST. They cannot attend to things of such a nature, ("verse 4/3. J because so disa- greeable to their taste ; for f verse 47. J He that is of God, hear- eth God''s luord ; ye^ therefore., hear them not^ because ye are not of God. It is hard to bring unregenerate men so much as to have right notions of v.hat God is, because he is a Being in his nature so contrary and disagreeable to them. They do not like to retain God in their knowledge. ...Rom. i. 28. Men had rather that God was another kind of Being, different from what he really is, and more like themselves — one that would suit their temper, and serve their interest : and, therefore, they frame such an one in their own fancy, and then fall down and worship the false image which they have set up. From hence it is, that all those false notions of God have taken their rise, which have always filled the world. But were men brought to have right notions of what God is, and to take in that very representation which he has made of himself, bv his works and in his word ; vet they would be so far from accounting him infinitely glorious in being what he is, that they would see no form or comeliness in him -wherefore they should desire hiin : but would feel the like malignant spirit towards him as the Jews did towards their pro- phets, and towards Christ and his aposdcs, only in a worse de- gree. The same temper which caused the exercise of such en- mity towards their prophets, and towards Christ and his apos- tles, would have caused as great or gi'eatcr towards God him- self, had they but had rigiit notions of him. And the clearer apprehension a sinner has of God, the more will his enmity ex- 44 TRUE RELIGION DZLINEATED, AND ert itself ; because a sinful nature and a holy nature are dia- metrically opposite to each other : And, therefore, the clearest external revelation of God cannot bring sinners to love him. — All the world will see just what kind of Being he is at the day of judgment, and that in a very plain and clear manner : But yet they whose nature it is to hate him for being what he is, will hate him still ; yea, hate him more than ever : And, therefore, besides the external revelation which God has made of himself, by his works and in his word, there is an absolute necessity that he should internally reveal himself in his glory to the heart of a sinner, in order to beget divine love there : Which brings me to add. Thirdly. God reveals his injinite glory in being xvliat he is in the hearts ofsimiers^ by his holy SFiKir....Mat. xi. 25, 27. By his works and in his word he has revealed ruhat he w, and that in a manner sufficiently plain — even so plainly that there is no need at all of any further objective revelation ; and he is really injinitely glorious in being what he is : Now, therefore, if we would rightly attend to that revelation which God has made of himself, we could not but have right apprehensions of him; and if we had a good taste for true beauty, we could not but be rav- ished with his glory : but we are naturally disinclined to right apprehensions of God, and are entirely destitute of a true taste for moral beauty : And hence we may learn what kind of in- ward illumination we stand in need of from the spirit of God. We do not need the holy spirit to reveal any nexv truths concern- ing God, not already revealed ; for the external revelation which he has made of himself, is sujficiently full : — we do not need to have tiie holy spirit immediately reveal all these truths con- cerning God over again to us, by way oi objective revelation^ or immediate inspiration ; because the external revelation already made is sufficiently plain : We only need (l) to be effectually awakened, to attend to those manifestations which he has made of himself in his works and word, that we may see what he is : And (2) to have a spiritual taste imparted to us, by the imme- diate influence of the Holy Ghost, that we may have a sense of DISTINGUISHED T¥.OTi ALL COUNTERFEITS. 45 his infinite glory in being such : For these two will lay an effec- tual foundation in our hearts for that love which the law re- quires. By the common inflences of the spirit, we may be awa- kened to a realizing sight and senseof ry/jaf God is; and, by the special and sanctifying influences of the spirit, we may receive a sense of his infinite ghrij in being such : And also the sense of his glorij will naturally cause us to see more clearly what God is : for a sense of the moral excellency of the divine nature fixes our thoughts on God ; and the more our thoughts are fixed, the more distinctly we see what he is : And while we see him to be what he is, and see his infinite glory in being s^lch, hereby a di- vine love is naturally enkindled in our hearts. And thus. He that commanded the light to shine out of darkness^ shines in our hearts.^ and gives us the light of the knowledge of the glorij of God : And so ive all^ with open face ^ behold^ as in a glass ^ the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same image^.. 11 Cor. iii. 18. and iv. 6. A sight of the moral excellency of the di- vine nature makes God appear infinitelv glorious in ever}' res- pect. Those things in God, which before appeared exceeding dreadful, now appear unspeakably glorious : His sovereignty ap- pears glorious, because now we see he is fit to be a sovereign, imd that it is fit and right he should do what he will with his own : His justice appears glorious, because now we see the in- finite evil of sin ; and a consideration of his infinite understand- ing and almighty power enhances his glory : And while we view what he is, and see his greatness and gloiy, and consider his original, entire, underived right to all things, we begin to see why he assumes the character of most high (iod, supreme Lord, and sovereign Governor of the whole world ; and we resign the throne to him, and take our places, and become his willing sub- jects ; and our hearts are framed to love him, and fear him, and trust in him through Jesus Christ ; and we give up ourselves to him, to walk in all his v/ays and keep all his commands, sock- ing his glory : And thus a sight and sense of the infinite digni- ty, greatness, glor\' and excellencv oftlie most high God, lass the first foundation for a divine love. God's being what ht is^i 46 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND is the primary reason that he reqmres us to love him with all our hearts ; and it is the first motive of a genuine love. I might now pass on to consider the additional obligations we are under to love God ; but that it may be profitable to stop a while, and a litde consider the nature and properties ofthis^r^i and greatest and most fundamental obligation ; and take a view of some iinportant consequences necessarily following therefrom. •And here, 1. This obligation is binding antecedentli/ to any considera-) tion of adva7itage or disadvantage — oirexvards or punishments ; and even prior to any consideration of the positive xvill and law of God himself. . 2. It is infinitely binding. 3. It is eternally binding. 4. It is unchangeably binding. 5. It is that from which all other obligations originally derive their binding nature. 1 . This obligation which we are under, to love God with all our hearts^ resulting from the infinite excellency of the divine nature, is binding antecedently to any consideration of advantage or disadvantage — of rewards or punishments^ or even of the pos- itive xvill and laxv of God himself . To love God with all our hearts naturally tends to make us happy ; and the contrary to make us miserable ; and there are glorious rewards promised on the one hand, and dreadful punishments threatened on the other ; and God, as Governor of the world, has, with all his au- thority, by his law, expressly required us to love him with all our hearts, and forbidden the contrary ; and all these things are binding ; but yet the infinite excellency of the divine nature lays us under bonds prior to any consideration of these things: So that if our interest did not at all lie at stake, and if there had never been any express law in the case, yet it would be right, and our indispensable duty, to love God with all our hearts.— His being infinitely lovely in himself, makes it our duty to love him ; for he is, in himself, worthy of our highest esteem : He deserves it ; it is, in the nature of things, his due : and that an- DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS, 47 tecedent to any selfish consideration, or any express law in the case. To suppose the contrary, is to deny the infinite amiable* ness of the divine nature, and to take away the very foundation oi the law itself, and the very reason of all rewards and punish- ments > For if our supreme love is not due to God, then he is not infinitely lovely ; and if he does not deserve to be loved with all our hearts, why does he require it ? And if, in tlie nai- ture of things, it is not right and fit that we should love him, and, the contrar}^, unfit and wrong, what grounds are there for rewards or punishments ? So that it is evident, the infinite ex- cellency of the divine nature binds us, and makes it our duty, antecedent to any consideration of advantage or disadvantage, rewards or punishments, or even of the positive will and law of God, to love God with all our hearts ; and therefore oiu- love must primarily take its rise from a sense of this infinite excel- lency of the divine nature, as has been before observed ; and that seeming love, which arises merely from selfish considerations, from the fear of punishment or hope ofreward, or because the law requires it, and so it is a duty and must be done, is not. gen- uine ; but is a selfish, a mercenary, and a forced thing. How evidently, therefore, do those discover their hypocrisy, who are wont to talk after the following manner ; — " If I am elected, I " shall be saved, let me do what I will ; and if I am not elect- " ed, I shall be damned, let me do what I can : and therefore it "is no matter how I live." And again after this sort...." If I " knew certainly that God had made no promises to the duties " of the unregenerate, as some pretend, I would never do any " more in religion." Surely, they had as good say that, they have no regard at all to the infinite excellency of the divine na- ture, but are entirely influenced by selfish and mercenary mo» lives in all they do : They do not seem to understand that they ^re under infinite obligations to love God with all their hearts, and obey him in every Uiing, resulting from God's being what he is, and that antecedent to all selfish co;isiderations j— rsiich know not God.... I. 'John^ iii. 6. H 4S TPIUE ri£LIGION UCLINEATED, AND 2. This obligation, resulting from the intrinsic excellency and amiableness ef the divine nature, is infinitely binding; be- Ciiusc this excellency and amiableness is in itself infinite. Our obligation arises from his desert; but he infmitely deserves our love, because he is infinitely lovely. When any person is love- ly and honorable, reason teaches us that we ought to love and honor him, and that it is wrong to dislike and despise him : And the more lovely and honorable, the grealeris our obligation to love and honor him ; and tlie more aggravatedly vile is it to treat him with contempt. Since, therefore, God is a Being of infinite dignity, greatness, glory and excellency, hence we are under an infinite obligation to loveiiim with all our hearts ; and it is infinitely wrong not to do so : Since he is infinitely worthy to be honored and obeyed by us, therefore we are under an in- finite obligation to honor and obev him j and that with all our heart and soul, and mind and strength. Hence, [1.] Perfect love and perfect obedience deserve no thanks at his hands. If we perfectly love him, even with all our hearts, and give up ourselves entirely and forever to him, to do his will and seek his glory, and so cordially delight in him as to take up our full and everlasting contentment in him ; yet, in all this, vv^e do but our duty, and we do no more than what we are un- der an infinite obligation to do ; and, therefore, we deserv^e no thanks.. ..Luif xvii. 9, 10. — Yea, we do nothing but that in which consists our highest perfection, glory, and blessedness ; and, therefore, instead of deserving thanks, we ought to ac- count it an exceeding great privilege that we may thus love the Lord, live to him, and live upon \\\Ya....Psahn xix. 10. When, therefore, eternal life was promised in the first cove- nant as the retvurd of perfect obedience, it was not under the notion of anv thing being ?nmW; nor did it ever enter into the hearts of the angels in heaven to imagine they merited any thing by ail their love and service ; for, from their very hearts, they all join to say. Worthy art thou^ 0 Lord^ to receive glory ^ and honor ^ and praise forever. And they deserve no thanks for their doin^ so, for they but own the very truth. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFIITS. 49 When, therefore, sinful men, poor, hcll<leser\'ing creatures, think it much that they should love and ser\'e God so well, and take so great pains in religion ; and are ready to think that God and man ought highly to value them for their so doing, and are always telling God and man how mighty good they arc ; as lie, Luke xviii. 11, V2....God^ I thcmk t/wr^ I am not as other mcJi are^ extortioners^ viijust, adulterers^ or even as- this puhlicaji ; — no, far from this, I am one of the best men ux all the world — / fast twice in the week,...I give ttjthes of aUthat I possess^ This appeared to him such a mighty thing, that he thought it quite worth while to tell God himself of it. Now, I say, when this is men's temper, it is a sign they neither know God, nor love him j for, if they did, they could not set so high a price upon their duties, since he is so infinitely deserving : The plain truth is, such have intolerable mean thoughts of God, and intolerable high thoughts of themselves — ^they are brim-full of spiritual pride and self-righteousness ; and such are exceedingly hateful in the sight of God. They implicitly say that God is not iuli- nitely glorious, and infinitely worthy of all love and honor — lie does not deserve it.. .it is not his due ; but rather he is behold- en to his creatures for it, and ought to render them many thanks for their love and service. The language of their hearts is, God has so little loveliness that it is muck to love him : Like a bad mother-in-law, who thinks it nothing to toil for her own children, because she loves them ; but grudges every rstep she takes for the rest, and thinks every little a gre^st deal, because she cares not for them : So, such men think it nothing to rise early and sit up late, to get the world.... to get riches, honor and pleasure ; for they love themselves : but think it much to take the tenth part of the pains in religion ; because they love not God. Their whole frame of mind casts infinite contempt upon the giorious majesty of hea\cn, to whom all honor Is in- finitely due, and in whose service all the hosts of heaven ac- count themselves perfectly blessed : I'hey feel as if they de- served to be paid for ail. ^ 50 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AN© True, there are glorious rewards promised in tlie law and in the gospel : But why ? and upon what grounds ? A miin may be said to be rewarded in three different senses. (1 .) When he receives xvhat he strictly deserves^ as an hireling re- ceives his -wages at night. But, in this sense, the angels in heav- en are not capable of a reward : for, in strict justice, they de- serve nothing.. ..Zzi«e xvii. 9, 10 — Rom. xi. 35. They are no hirelings, for God has a natural, original, underived right to them, as much as he has to the sun, moon and stars ; and these, therefore, deserve to be paid for their shining, as much as the angels do for their working. Besides, if the angels do love God, it is no more than he infinitely deserves. And far- ther, the services of angels do not profit God, and so lay him under no obligations, any more than the birds profit the rising sun by their moniing-songs, and so lay the sun under obliga- tions to shine all day. Job xxii. 2, o,...Can a man be profitable unto God., as he that is -wise may be projitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty^ that thou art righteous ? or is it gain to him^ that thcu makest thij xvaijs perfect ? And yet, even in this gross sense, self-righteous persons feel, at heart, as ifthey deserved a reward for their good duties} though per- haps they are not willing to own it. Hence, they are so apt to think it would be very hard, unjust and cruel, if God should damn them for their past sins, notwithstanding all their good dulie^. Isa, Iviii. S...JVherefore have xve fasted, say they^ and thou seest not ? But, (2.) A man may be said to be rewarded, when, although, in strict justice, he deserves nothing; yet he re" ceives great favors at the hands of God., in testimony of the divine approbation of his person and services : And thus, the angels in heaven, though they deserve nothing, yet have eternal life bestowed upon them, as a reward to their perfect obedience, in testimony of the divine approbation. God rewards them, not because they do him any good, nor because they deserve any thing at his hands ; but because he infinitely loves righteousness^ and to appear as an infinite friend to this., in his public conduct, as moral Governor of the world. The most that can be said DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 51 ©f the holiest angel in heaven, is, that he is fit to be approved in the sight of God, because he is perfectly such as God re- quires him to be. And now, because God loves to put honor upon virtue, and to exercise the infinite bountifulness of his nature, therefore he gives them the reward of eternal life. And thus God promises us eternal life, upon condition of per?- feet obedience, in the first covenant : as if God had said, " If " you will love mc wilh all your heart, and obey me in every *• thing, as you are bound in duty to do ; then, although you will " deserve nothing, yet, as becomes a holy and good God.. ..a " kind and bouutiful Governor, I will make you everlastingly *' blessed in the enjoyment of myself ; and that in testimony *' of mv approbation of your perfect and steady fidelitx." And so, bs' covenant and promise, this reward would have been duCy had the condition been performed. Hence, that in Rom. iv. 4 *...Noxv to him that workcth^ is the rezuard not reckoned of grace, but of DZhT. And now here self-righteous persons are wont to come in with their works, and insist upon their right, and plead the reason of things, as well as the promise. " If we do *' (say they) as well as we can, which is all that God does or " can in justice require of us, surely he will accept of us — it " would be cruel to cast us oft' — his goodness and faithfulness are *' engaged for us :" Just as if they had now made full amends for all their past sins, by their repentance and reformation ; and grown to be as good as angels, bv taking some little pains in religion ! For the best angel in heaven does not pretend to any other title to blessedness than this ; namely, that he has done as well as he can, and that this is all that God has required, and although he is an unprofitable sc-rvant, vet he depends upon the promise, the goodness and faithfulness of his bountiful Creator. Indeed, self-righteous persons may pretend to expect iUl for Chris-t^s sake ; and say, that what they do, only entitles them to an interest in him ; but it is all mere pretence ; for still they think that God is bound to give them an interest in Christ and eternal life, if they do a,? well as they can ; and would think (iod dealt very hardly with them, if he did not : So that their 52 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND real dependance, at bottom, is upon their own goodness, their own worth or worthiness, to make amends for past sins, and recommend them to God, and entitle them to all things ; the infinite absurdity of which will be evident presently. Again, (3.) A man may be said to be rewarded, when he neither de- serves any thing, nor is it fitting that his person and conduct, considered mei'ely as they are in themselves^ should be approv- ed ; but ought to be condemned, according to reason, and ac- cording to God's righteous law, they being so sinfully defec- tive ; nevertheless, such a man may be said to be rewarded, when, 7}ierely on the account of his interest in the righteousness Tkiid worthiness of Christ, his person and performances are accepted, and peculiar favors shewn him. And in this way are believers accepted, according to the covenant of grace, and entitled to the reward of eternal life : Fhil. iii. 8, 9 — Eph. i. 6 —I Pet. ii. 5. Now, those who look for a reward mthis %vay^ will be so far from thinking it much, which they have done for God, that they will forever set all down for nothing, and worse than nothing,* their best duties being so sinfully defective ; and judge themselves worthy of hell every day, and every moment: And all their dependance will be on Christ's worthiness, and the free grace of God through him : Luke xviii. 13 — Ro7n. iii. 24. And all that is said in the New Testament about God's rewarding the believer's good works, being viewed in this light, gives not the least countenance to a self-righteous spirit, but * Worse than nothing. ...T^OT'E.. I do not mean, that an Imperfect, and very defective conformity to the law is worse, and more odious in God's sight, than no conformity at all ; but only, that there is more odlonsness than amiablencss in such defective services : and that, therefore, we are, in the siglit of God, on their account, more proper objects of hatred and punish- ment, than of love and reward, if considered merely as in ourselves, with- out any respect to our relation to Christ : so that, in point of recommend- ing ourselves to God, we do, by our best duties, thus considered, rather dis- commend ourselves in his sight. ...and, in this sense, they are worse than nothing : they are even so far from paying our constant dues, that, in the sight of God, thev constantly run us into debt. We are infinitely to blam« in our best fra'nes and best duties, and have not any thing in thein, which tends, in God's sight, in the least degree, to counterbalance our Ijlanie. — E-ut if anv are desirous to see this point fully explained and proved, and all objections answered, I refer them to Mr. £Jwu/J*'s excellent discourse ©n justification by faith alone. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERTEITS. 53 militates directly against it : And, indeed, if we were as per- fect as the angels in heaven, it appears, from what has been said, that we should deserve no thanks. It is impudent, there- fore, and wicked — it is contemptuous — and, in a sort, blasphe- mous, and most God-provoking, for a proud, conceited Pharisee^ to feel as he does in his self-rigliteous frames And God might expostulate with such an one in this man- ner : " What, is there so litde lovelines in mc ? And is it so •' great, to hard, so self-denying, to love me, that you tiiink it ♦'such ajnig/itif thing ! and expect now, that all past sins shall ** be forgiven, and my favor secured, for this good frame ! yea, " and that I shall gi\ e you heaven into the barg-ain ? W^hat, arc " your obligations to me so small, that I must be so much be- ''holdcn to you for your love ? What, did you never hear that I " was the Lord ! and diat it was I that stretched abroad the heav- " ens ! and that you are my clay, whom I formed and fashion- "ed for myself? — Begone, thou impudent wretch, to hell, thy *' proper place: thou art a despiser of my glorious majestv, " and your frame of spirit savors of blasphemy : Know it, I am " not so mean as you imagine, nor at ail beholden to you for *' your love." And tiiis is one reason that the sacrifce of the wicked is such an cihomination to the Lord ; not only when they pray with a view to recommend themselves to their fellow-mtn, but also when, in doing their best, they only design to ingratiate themselves with God. Prov. xxi. 27., ..The sacrifice of the xcickcd is abomiiuulon (even his very best) : hoxv im(ch more xvhen he hringeth it with a wicked mind P The infmite great- ness, glory and excellency of God, and the infinite obligation thence resulting which we are under to love him with all our hearts, and obey him in every thing, renders a self-righteous spirit unspeakably odious, and infinitely provoking in the eyes of a holy God. But this will appear still plainer under the next particular. To proceed, therefore, [2.] If we arc under an infinite obligation to love Ciod su- premely, live to him ultimately, and take everlasting delight in him, because of iiis infinite glory and excellency, then the /east 54 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND disposition to disesteem him... .to be inclifFerent about his inter- est and honor, or to disrelish communion with him ; or the least disposition to love ourselves more than God, and be more con- cerned about our interest and honor than about his, and to be pleased and delighted in die things of the M'orld, more than in him, mu5?, consequently, be i7ijinitely sinful,* as is self-evident. When, therefore, the great Governor of the world threatens eternal damnation for the least sin, (as in Gal, iii. 10.) he does the thing that is perfectly right ; for an infinite evil deserves an infinite punishment. Hence, also, it is no wonder that the holiest saint on eartli mourns so bitterly, and loaths and abhors himself so exceeding- ly for the remaining corruptions of his heart ; for, if the least dis- position to depart from God and disrelish commtmion with him, and to be careless about his honor and interest, is infinitely sin-- ful, then the best men that ever lived have infinite reason al- ways to lie as in the dust, and have their hearts broken. Al- though it be so with them, that all which the world calls good and great, appears as dross to them ; and it is nothing to them, to part with friends and estate, honor and ease, and all, for Christ ; and although they have actually suifered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, not worth mourning about^ or repining after ; yet, notwithstanding all these attainments, attended with the fullest assurance of eternal glory in the world to come, the}' have infinite reason to do as tliey do.. ..to dislike themselves. ...to hate themselves, and lie down in the dust a//m fmri, because still there is such a remaining disposition in their hearts to disesteem the Lord of glory.... to neglect his interest, and depart from him ; and because they are so far from being what they ought to be, notwithstanding the obligations lying up- * The leasi: sin may be ;in Ir.Finitc evil, because of the infinite obligation ■we are under to do otherwise, and vet all sins not be equally heinous : for there is as great a diiYerence among infinites, as among finites ; I mean, among things that are infinite only in one respect : For instance, to be for ever in hell is an infinite evil, in respect of the duration ; but yet th« damned are not all equally miserable. Some may be an hundred times as miserable as others, in degree ; although the misery of ail is equal in poiat of duration. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 59 Qn.them are infinite. Oh ! this is infinitely vile and abomina- ble, and they have reason indeed, therefore, always to loathe and abhor themselves, and repent in dust and ashes ; yea, they are infinitely to blame for not being more humble and penitent. — A sight and sense of these things made Job lie down in the dust and mourn so bitterly for his impatience under his past afflic- tions, though he had been the most patient man in the world.... yob xlii. 5, 6. This made the psalmist call himself a beast Psalm Ixxiii. 22. And hence, Paul called himself the chief of sinnerSy and cried out, /aw caimal^ sold wider shi ; 0 wretched man that lam I And hated to commend himself when the Co- rinthians drove him to it, and seemed to blush at every sentence, and, in a sort, recalled his words — lam not a whit behind the very chief of the apostles, yet I am nothing / labored more abundantly than they all^ yet not I. Such a sight of things kills a self-righteous spirit at root, in the most exalted saint ; for he has nothing (all things considered) to make a righteousness of, but, in strict justice, merits eternal damnation every hour, and does nothing to make the least amends. For, if perfect obedience merits no thanks, as was before ob- served ; and if the least sin is an infinite evil, and deserves an infinite punishment, as we have now seen, then a whole eterni- ty of perfect obedience would do just nothing towards making the least amends for the smallest sin ; much less will the best services of the highest saint on earth : And, consequently, when Paul came to die, he deserved to be damned (considered mere- ly as in himself), as much as when he was a bloody persecutor, breathing out threatenings and slaughter ; yea, and a great deal more too : for all his diligence and zeal in the service of Christ did just nothing towards making the least amends for what was past ; and his daily short-comings and sinful defects run h\\n daily infinitely more and more into debt, which he did nothing to counterbalance : And hence, Paul accounts himself to be nothing (II Cor. xii. 11.), as well he might ; and all his attain- ments to be, in a sense, not worth remembering (/"y^/V. ii*. 13.) and looks upon himself the chief of sinners (I I'im.'u 15.), and 1 56 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND less than the least of ail saints {Eph. iii. 8.), and durst venture his soul upon notliingbut mere free grace through JesusChrist.... Phil. iii. 8, 9, And thus it is with every behever, even the most holy, although he daily sees what a God he has sinned against — how he has sinned against him, and does, from a gra- cious respect to God, mourn for sin, for all sin, as the greatest evil, and sincei'ely turns from all to the Lord, and gives up him- self to God, to love him and live to him forever ; yet he feels that all this makes no arttcnds at all for his sins, but that he real- ly deserves to be damned for them as much as ever ; yea, he feels that he is infmitely blame-worthy for not being more hum- ble and penitent and self-abhorring, and that his desert of damnation is infinitely increasing continually : And hence, he looks upon the grace that saves him as absolutely and divinely free, and infinitely great ; and always derives all his hopes of happiness from the free grace of God through Jesus Christ. — And this is what the apostle means when he speaks of his living by the faith of the son of God....G2\. ii. 2,0.... of his rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having 7io confidence in the fesh....V\vA. iii. 3. And this was the cause of his so earnestly longing to h^ found not in himself, but mChrist....not having on his own righteous- 7iess, but the righteousness xvhich is of Godbij faith. ...V\i\\. iii. 8, 9. How directly contrary to all this is the temper of th€ blind, con- ceited Pharisee, as expressed by Maimonides, the Jew, who was professedly one of riiat sect ? " Every m.an," says he, " hath *■'• his sins, and every man his merits : and he that hath more *' merits than sins, is a just man ; but he that hath more sins *' than merits, is a wicked man." And this is the way of such men — they put their sins, as it were, into one scale, imd their good duties into the other ; and when they fancy their goodness outweighs their badness, then they look upon themselves in the favor of God. But to return. From what has been said, we may learn, that the more sensi- hie any man is of the infinite glory and excellency of God, and of his infinite obligations thence resulting to love God with all his heart, and obe\ him in every thing, the dearer will he see DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 57 that perfect obedience deserves no thanks, and that the least sin is an infinite evil and deserves an infinite punishment ; and so he will renounce his own righteousness, die to himself, and come down to nothing, more and more ; and so will bepropor- tionably more and more sensible of his absolute need of Christ and free gi-ace : And hence, the more holy a mai\ grows, the more humble will he be. And, on the contrary, the 7)iore insen- sible a man is of God^s infinite glory and excellency, and of his obligations thence resulting, the more will he value his. duties, and the less evil will he see in sin, and the less sensible will he be of his ill desert, and of his need of Christ and free grace.-— And hence, a self-righteous, impenitent, Christ-despising spir- it reigns in all who knoru not God ; And thus we see some of the consequences necessarily following from that infinite obligation to love God with all our hearts which we are under, resulting from the infinite glory and excellency of the divine natuie.: — But to pass on, 3. This obligation we are under to love God with all our hearts, arising irom his infinite glory and- excellency, is, in tlic nature of tilings, eternally binding. God, his being, perfections, and glory will be eternal : God will always be infinitely amia- ble— always as amiable as he is now ; and there will be always, therefore, the same reason that he should be loved, for being what he is ; even the very same reason that there is now : This obligation is therefore perpetually binding amidst all the clian- gcs of this iifc. Whether we are sick or well, in prosperity or in adversity ; whether we are raised to honor with David, or live in affluence with Solomon ; or whether we are in prison with Joseph, or on the dung-hill with Job, or wandering about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, destitute, afflicted, tormented, with those mentioned in the eleventh to the Hebrews^ still this obligation upon us to love Ciod, is invariably the same : For C^od is always infinitely amiable in himself; yea, and always will ha so, whether we are in the earth, or in heaven, or in hell : And therefore it always is, and always will be, our indispensibl^; dutv to love him with all our hearts, let what will become of us.. 58 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND and let our circumstances, as to happiness and miser}-, be what they may. Did our obhgations to love God arise merely from a consid- eration oi sometking else besides the eternal excellency of the di- vine nature — from something \thich might altogether cease in time, then might it possibly, some time or other, ceow*? to be our duty to love God with all our hearts : But assuredly it can never cease^ until God ceases to be what he is. The infinite ob- ligation hence arising will be eternally binding : Indeed, if all our obligations to love God did arise merely from selfish con- siderations, then, in hell, where these selfish considerations will cease, it would cease to be a duty to love God. If I were obli- ged to love God, only because he loves me — is kind to me, and designs to make me happy, then, when he ceases to love me, to be kind to me, and to intend my happiness, all my obliga- tions to him would cease ; and it would be no sin not to love him : But now, since our obligations to love God arise original- ly from his being what he is in himself, antecedent to all selfish considerations ; therefore it will forever remain our duty to love him, let our circumstances, as to happiness or misery, be what they will : And not to love him with all our hearts, will forever be infinitely wrong. Hence the gmlt of the fallen an- gels has been increasing ever since their first apostacy ; and the guilt of all the damned will be increasing to all eternity ; and no doubt their punishment will increase in the same propor- tion. How inconceivably and infinitely dreadful, therefore, will be their case, who are thus continually sinking deeper and deeper in that bottomless pit of woe and misery ! And indeed, if this be the case, hell may well be com.pared, as it is in scrip- ture, to a bottomless pit.,.. Jitx. ix. 1. & xx. 1. 4. This obligation which we are under to love God with all our hearts, resulting from the infinite excellency of the divine nature, is also unchangeably binding. As unchangeable as the divine nature is — as unalterable as the divine beauty is, even so unchangeable, so unalterable, in the very nature of things, is this our infinite obligation to love him supremely, live to him DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 59 ultimately, and delight in him superlatively. As God is infi- nitely lovely in himself, and unchangeably so, so it is self-evi- dent we are under an infinite and inviirial^lc obligation to love him with all our hearts. This cannot but be always our duty. So long as God remains what he is, this will remain our duty. It will, in the nature of things, be unalterably right and fit to love him ; and not to do so, unalterably unfit and wrong. Our sinking down into ever so bad a temper, and getting to be ever so remote from a disposition to love him, can no more free us from the obligation, than it can cause him to cease being ami- able. He must cease. to be amiable, before our obligation thence arising can possibly cease to be binding. If there be no alteration in his infinite beauty, there can possibly be no al- teration in the infinite obligation thence arising. While God remains what he is, and while our natural powers and faculties are maintained in being, it must continue our duty to love God with all our hearts, and it cannot but be our duty. In the na- ture of things it is right ; and the obligation is just as incapable of any alteration, as is the equality between twice two and four. The fallen angels are of so bad a temper, that the very thoughts of God will, doubtless, sooner than any thing, stir up all their hatred : But God deserves to be perfectly loved by them, as much as he did before- their apostacy. There is a great altera- tion in the temper of their minds ; but not the least shadow of change in the divine beauty. Their having contracted so bad and wicked a temper, cannot surel\- make it right and lawful for them to indulge it, and contiiuic in it. Their impious re- volt surely cannot free them from tlic authority and government of Almighty God, He deserves their homage and subjection, as much as ever he did : The original gi-ound of all still re- mains ; he is still the Lord. The same may be said of fallen man — it is impossible that our bad temper should free us from our obligation to love God with all our hearts. It is still, in the nature of things, as wrong, not to love Ciod with all our hearts, as ever it was, or as it would have been, had we not joined with the fallen angels, and turned apostates. It must 60 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND be SO, unless otir being of so bad and wicked a temper n%akes it right for us to continue of such a temper, and we not at all blame-worthy for acting agreeably thereto ; that is, unless our being so very bad and wicked, makes us not at all to blame for our badness and wickedness : And so, according to this rule, the viler any creature grows, and the more averse to God and to all good, the less he is to blame ; which is one of the gros- sest absurdities in the world. Therefore, (1 .) The divine law which requires us to love God with cdl our hearts, considered as a rule of duty ^ is, in the nature of things.^ unalterable^ and absolutely incapable of any abatement^ more or less. The diing i"equired, is, in the nature of things, our duty, antecedent to any consideration of an express law in the case — as that children ought to honor their parents, and neighbors do as they would be done by, are things in themselves right, and duties antecedent to any consideration of an express law in the case.... Eph. vi. 1. These things would have been duties, if there had never been any laws made concerning them by God or man : Yea, they are, in their own nature, so right, that they cannot but be our duty j and to dishonor our parents, and cheat, and defraud, and injure our neighbor, cannot but be wrong : So, to love God with all our hearts is originally right and fit, and our duty ; and would have been so, had there ne- ver have been any positive, express law in the case. Now the grand reason why God, the great Governor of the world, ever made a law requiring us to love him with all our hearts, was because it was thus, in its own nature, so infinitely fit : And now to suppose that he would repeal, or alter, or abate this law,when the grounds and reasons of his first making of it re- main as forceable as ever — when the thing required is as right and fit as ever — and when it becomes him, as Governor of the world, still to require it as much as ever ; — I say, to suppose such a thing, casts the highest reproach upon all his glorious perfections : It casts the highest reflection upon his infinite ha- litiess, whereby he is infinitely inclined to love right and hate wrong ; for it supposes him to release his creatures from doing DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTKRTEITS. 61 right, and to allow them to do wrong... .a little at least : It casts the highest reflection upon his impartial justice^ whereby he is infinitely inclined to give every one his due -, for it supposes him to release his creatures from giving unto God tlie glory which is his due, and to allow them to keep back part at least : It casts the highest reflection upon his atabilitij and truth ; for it suppo- ses him to alter his law when there is no reason for it : yea, it reflects even upon \\\s goodtitss itself ; for it is so far from be- ing a benefit to his creatures to have this excellent law altered, which is so completely suited to the perfection and happiness of their nature, that it would be one of the gi'eatest and sorest calamities which could happen. Like the altering all the good laws and rules in a family, merely to humor and gratify a re- bellious child, who will not be governed. Such a child should be made to conform to the wholesome laws of the family, and not the laws be abated and brought down to a level with his bad temper and perverse humor : And, finally, it casts the highest reflection upon the infinite ivisc/om of the great Governor of the world ; for it supposes him to go counter to his own honor and to the good of his creatures, to counteract all his perfections, and contradict the reason and nature of things ; and that mere- ly in condescension unto, and in compliance with the sinful,cor- rupt taste and incUnations of an apostate, rebellious, God-ha- ting world. And now, Iiow could the great Govenior of the world clear and vindicate the honor of his gi-eat name, in making any abate- ments in this law, which requires us to love him with all our hearts ? Would he say that he had before required more love than zuus his due P Surely, nothing can be much more blasphemous than to suppose this. ^\'ould he say that he does not dcacrveso jnuch as he did, ? Still it is equally blasphemous to suppose tliis. Would he say that/f*s- than is his due is all that is his due ? But this would be to contradict himself in express terms. Or would he openl)' profess to quit his right and freely alioxv his creatures to despise him a little, and sin sometimes, in conde- scension unto and compliance with die corrupt inclinations of 62 TRUL RELIGION DELINEATED, AND their sinful hearts ? But this, in the nature of things, would be infinitely wrong and dishonorable. Upon what grounds, then, could the supreme Governor of the world go about to make abatements in a law so holy, just and good, that only requires us to love him with all our hearts, which, in the nature of things, is so infinitely right and suitable ? Or upon what grounds can we possibly desiie any abatements to be made, unless we even profess that we do not like the law.... that we ai-e averse to lov- ing God with all our he arts.... that it is a very tedious, self-de-f nying thing to us, and what we can b}' no means freely come in- to ; and so, upon this footing, desire some abatements ! Or, which is the same thing, honestly own **• that we love sin so *' dearly that God must tolerate us in it, or we cannot approve *'of his government." But, indeed, God can as easily cease to be, as go about to li- cense and tolerate the least sin ; and he had rather Heaven and earth should pass awaij^ than that the least jot or tittle of his law shoiddJaiL...lSiIat. v. IS. How can any body, therefore, once imagine that Christ came down from heaven and died, to purchase this abatement of the law of God, and procure this lawless liberty for his rebellious subjects ? What ! did he desert his Father's interest and honor, and the honor of his law and government, and spill his precious blood, that he might persuade the great Governor of the world to slacken the reins of government, and give out this impious li- cense to iniquity ? — Surely to suppose this, is to make Christ a friend to sin, and an enemy to God. What, then, do they mean, who, in their prayers, presume to thank God for the gracious abatements v/hich he has made in his law ? And what do ministers mean by telling their people, from the pulpit, that the law is abated, and that sincere obedience is ALL that is now required of us ? — Indeed, if poor secure sin- ners are made to believe that this was the great business Christ came into the world upon, no wonder if their impious hearts are pleased, and if they seem to love Christ, and prize the gos- pel, and give thanks to God for this great goodness and conde- DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 63 scension ; for hereby they are delivered from that strictness in religion which they hate, and a wide door is opened for them to sin without blame : Yea, they have the comfort to think that it is no sin not to love God with all their heart, with oil their soul, and with all their strength : And, generally, a verj' little matter of religion, they think, will serve. And now it's good times, and they bless themselves. But, alas ! They feed upon the wind : A deceived heart hath turned them aside. But, by the way, to what purpose was it for Christ to die to purchase this abatement ? What need was there of it ? Or what good could it do ? For, if the law really required too mvch^ the Governor of the world was obliged, injustice, to make some abatements : And so, the death of Christ in the case was per- fectly needless. And if the law required but just enough^ the Governor of the world could not, in justice, make any abate- ments : And so Christ must have died in vain^ and totally lost his end. But, indeed, Christ never came into the world upon this de- sign ; as he expressly declares, in Mat. v. IT, 18.. ..Think not that I come to destroy the lanv or the prophets : I am not come to destroy^ but to fulfil. For verily I say imto you^ till heaven and earth pass., one jot or one tittle sluill in 7io ivise pass froju the larcy till all be fulfilled. And this is the very thing he con- demns the Pharisees for, through all this chapter, that they, in effect, taught this doctrine, that the law was abated : that they taught, that although the law did forbid some external and more gross acts of sin, yet it did not the first stirring of cornip- tion at heart, and some lesser iniquities : For instance, that " they must not commit murder ; but that it was no harm to be " angry without cause, and speak reproachfully, and keep a se- " crct grudge at heart.... (wr.sr 21 — 26.) That they must not " commit adultery ; but that it was no harm to have secret las- " civious thoughts.... (u£r>9f 27 — 30.) That they must not be " guilty o{ perjury ; but that there was no harm in little petty " oaths in common conversation.. ..(ycr^e 33 — 37.) That they " must not luitt their friends ; but there was no harm in hating 64 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND *' their enemies ;" (verse 43 — 47.) These, and such like al- lowances, tliey taught, were made in the law ; and so, that such things were not sinful. But our Savior condenms their <ioe- trine, as false and damning ; and insists upon it, that the law is not abated, and never shall be ; but says, it still requires us to he perfect y as our heavenly Father is perfect....(yerse 48.) and declares, that if our righteousness exceedethnotthe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees^ (who were so much for abating the law) we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven.. .{vex%e 20.) ^ofar was our blessed Savior fi-om any design to abate the ho- ly law of God, or lessen our obligations to a perfect conformity to it : And indeed, if Christ had died, and should die a thou- sand times, to purchase an abatement of the law, (if it be law- ful to make such a supposition) it would be to no purpose ; for it cannot be abated, unless God ceases to be what he is : For so long as God is infinitely lovely, we shall necessarilif be under an infinite obligation to love him with all our heart, and with all our strength ; and it will necessarily be infinitely wrong not to do so. The truth is, that God's sending his Son into the world to die for the redemption of sinnei-s, instead of freeing us from our original natural obligations to keep the law, binds us more strongly so to do ; as wq shall afterwards see. Psalm cxix. 160..« Thy word is truefro?n the beginning : And every one of thy righteous judgynents endureth forever : (Ver. 128.) I esteem all thy precepts concerning cdl things to be right. (Ver. 144.) The righteousness of thy testimonies is ev- erlasting. (Ver. 152.) Thou has founded them forever. And therefore (ver. 160,) Every one of them will endure forever ; as if the Psalmist had said, " The thing required in thy law *' is, in its own nature, right, everlastingly right ; and, there- *' fore, as Governor of the world, thou hast by law forever set- '' tied and established it as duty — by a law never to be altered, *' but to endm'e forever : And forever, therefore, will it en- " dure." Obj. But is it fair and just for God to require more of his creatures than they can do ? DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 65 Ans. What are we come to, in this apostate world, that we cannot see it to be just and fair, in the great Governor of heav- en and earth, the infinitely glorious God, to require us, as his creatures, so much as to love him, with all our heaits ? What ! Is this too much ? Is this more than he deserves from us ? Or does the truth lie here... .that we hate him so, that we cannot find it in our hearts to love him ; and therefore crj', " He must " not insist upon it ; or, if he does, he deals unjustly, and is *' very hard with us ?" But is not this the very thing those citi- zens did, who hated their Prince, and sent after him, saying, Wc null not have this man to reign over us .^....Luke xix. 14, These hints may serve as an answer for the present : But of this more hereafter. But while some are pleading, that Christ died to pmxhase an abatement of the law, others carry the point still further, and saif that Christ died entirehj to disannul it ; and that now it ivholhj ceases to be a rule of life to believers : whenas one great and declared design of Christ's coming into the world was to recover his people to a conformity thereto : {Tit. ii. 11, 12, 13.) Oh how men love their corruptions, and hate God and his holy law, and long to have it cashiered and removed out of the world, that so they may live as they list, and yet escape the reproaches of their consciences here, and eternal punish- ment hereafter ! But God sitteth King forever, and will assert the rights of his crown, and maintain the honor of his majesty, and the glory of his great name, and vindicate his injured law ; although it be in the eternal damnation of millions of his re- bellious subjects : Luke xix. 27... .But those mine enemies ^xvhich ivoukl not that I should reign over them, bring hither., and slay them before me. And here, by the way, we may see what an aversion men have to right thoughts of God and divine things ; and may be convinced of the absolute necessity of a superna- tural, all-conquering light, to remove these prejudices, and make men see and believe the truth, and love, and cordially em- brace it. {John viii. 47 — I Cor. ii. 14.) A holy God does not appear infinitely glorious and amiable to an unholy heart; and 66 TRUE HELIGION DELINEATED, AND einners, not seeing the grounds of loving God with all their hearts, do not see the reason of the law ; they do not see how holy^jtcst^ and ^0(7^ the law is, and the carnal mindh^m^ enmity against Gody is, at the same time, enmity against the laxu^ which is a transcript of the divine nature.. ..(7?(7W. \'iii. 7.) And hence, sinners do not love to believe either God or his law to be what they really are : And this temper makes them blind to what the scripture says, andJf ads them to frame a false image of God, and entertain falsfe notions of his law, that they may have a God and a law both to their own minds. And now, as are men's notions of the lazv, such are their notions of religion ; the essence of which principally consist* in a conformity to the law. Hence, here is one ; he pleads for great abatements in the law, and he contents himself with the mere form of religion. He is not unjust, nor an extortioner, nor an adulterer j but much better than some of his neighbors : He prays in his fam- ily, goes to public worship, and attends the Sacrament, and thinks himself a very good man ; like him in Luke xviii. 9, 10, S:c. But as for the doctrines relating to our natural depravityy regeneration, conversion^ faith^ communion xvith God^ and all the inside of religion^ he understands nothing about them ; they seem as strange as it did to Nicodemus to hear Christ discourse about the nexv hirth..,.'J ohn\\\. And all the talk about the m- ward influences of the holy spirit, in awakening, convincing, humbling, and converting a sinner, and in enlightening, teach- ing, quickening, comforting, and sanctifying a believer, is quite unintelligible ■■, for these things do not come into his notions of religion. According to his opinion, the law is brought down so low, that it is an easy thing to become a good man : The change is but small, and there is scarce any need of the spirit's help ; much less any room for the exercise of sovereign grace ; for he is so good-natured, that he can become good of his own free will, (i. e. according to his notions of goodness,) and do that which shall effectually entitle him to "the promises : And thus he has the staff in his own hand. And now here is a DISTIKGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 67 charming religion, perfectly suited to the taste of an apostate world ; for it is calculated to quiet the conscience, while the heart lies out estranged from God,aiiddead in s'm...Ro7U. vii. 8,9. Especially, so much of it as is for their credit, and apparently senes their worldly interest, will pretty readily and heartily be fallen in with ; and the best have their failiugs... .no man is per- fect....^nd I endeavor to be sincere. ...ixnd the best have their doubts assurance is not to be attainet^^ and such-like pleas, help to keep their consciences secure. And now, O how they love those ministers, that cry, peace^ peace I but hate those that would search things to the bottom, and sound an alarm to se- cure sinners, and deluded hypocrites. The same temper that makes them hate God and his law, makes them hate his min- isters too : And diey are for another kind of God, and for another kind of law — another kind of religion, and another kind of ministers, that they may have all to their mind. And, when all is done, they are confident they are now in the right, because they are suited : They love to have it so, and there- fore firmly believe it is so. Hence, again, here is another^ who has been mightily terri- fied, and in great distress, under a sense of the wrath of God and the dreadfulness of damnation ; but, in the distressing hour, he has had it revealed to him (by the spirit of God, he thinks) that his sins are forgiven ; and now he is sure of heaven, and is ravished at the thoughts of eternal glory : he holds it a great sin to doubt ; and all his religion consists in failh and joy, i. e. in believing that his sins are forgiven, and rejoicing in his bles- sed and happy and safe estate, and in the expectation of future glory : But as for a real conformity to the hnv^ it makes up no part of his religion. He understands rightly nothing what the law requires.. ..he is neither sensible of his duty to God, or to his fellow-men ; yea, he hates to hear any thing about A/ry or ^;/- ty : It is all legal^ he cries, and tends to kill religion^ atidtoivound weak christians^ and grieve and drive away the spirit of grace ; and no preachingsuits his tiisie,but what consists in telhngovcr and commending such experiences as his, and in setting forth 68 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND the love of God and Christ to such, and calling upon such to believe and rejoice, and never doubt their state again : And, in •general, those things which tend to strengthen his confidence and increase his joy, he esteems right and good ; and all things of •a contrary, tendency he esteems wrong and bad. This seems to •be his only crUeriijn of right and wrong, and the only rule he makes use of in drawing up a judgment ; but as for the laxv^ it is of no use with him. There is doubtless many a man that feels and acts and lives as if the law was abated, who yet will not plead for that doctrine : So, doubtless, there is many a man that feels and acts and lives as if the law wholly ceased to be a rule of life, who yet will not venture to say so. The force of education, and their worldly interest and credit keep men ma- ny times from shewing what they are b}'^ an open profession : however, secretly this temper reigns within them ; yea, some- times it breaks out into open light, in their visible conduct. — But, as strange as it may seem, there are multitudes that not on- ly have the root of these things in their hearts, but reallv believe them and openly profess and plead foi' them. Hence it is, on •the one hand, that the Arminian, Neonomian^ and Pelagiam er- rors have taken their rise, and the Antinomian on the other. — Wrong notions of God lie at the bottom ; and then wrong no- tions of the law ; and then wrong notions of religion in general : and all originally proceed and grov/ up out of the wrong tem- per of men's minds ; for all unregenerate men would fain have a God^ and a /art', and a j-eligion to suit the temper of their hearts. Micah iv. 5. ...For all people xvill xvalk every one in the name of his God. In the mean time, the truly godly man, who sees that the ob-. ligation which he is under, to love God with all his heart, re- sulting from the excellency of the divine nature, is undiangea- ble^ and that the law which reqviires this is unalterable^ in- stead of going about to contrive a religion that may suit the na- tural temper of his heait, is convinced that the temper of his heart is the very thing that must be changed : He is convinced of his infinite obligation to be altogether such as the laxv requires DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 69 him to be, and that he is infinitely blameable for the least defect. Hence, those words, The law in holy^jtist^ and good....the Uau' is spiritual ; but I am carnal^ sold under sin : 0 wretched man that I am I do exactly express the thoughts of the most exalted saint on earth ; yea, even oi the great Saint Paul himself.... A^cw. vii. 12, 14, 24. Indeed, had St. Paul thought that the law was l»holly disannulled, or much abated, he might then have ima- gined that he was so good as to be quite free from sin, or pret- ty near being so, and been ready to speak the language of the Pharisee — God, Ithayik thee^ I am riot as other jyien. But now, notwidistanding all his high and wonderful attainments, yet, when he considered what the laxv was which he was under, and how very far he was from being exactly w hat that required, the native language of his humble heart is, lam carnal^ sold wider sin I O wretched imm that lam .'* And now the Apostle, from a sense of his infinite obligations to be what the law requires, aiid of his great distance from \h\^., forgets the things xvhirh arc behind i and he runs....h& rvrestles. .. .he J/ghts... .he strives, ..he keeps under his body. ...he. lays aside every rveight ; in short, he aj)peai-s like a man in a perfect agony ; so great was his sense of duty y and so much hud he to do : And, at the same time, from a sense of his impotency and of his unworthiness....of his need of the redeemer and the sanctificr, it is his miixim to pray al- 7uaySj and to ask all things in the najne of Christ. Now, in his example we have the temper which prevails more or less in ev- er)- godly man exactly painted : And thus wc have had pictured, in miniature, three different sorts ofreligion, arising from three different notions of the law. The picture is begun ; and, in the sequel, I purpose to paint all three as near to the life as I can, that we may see what the)' are, and wherein they differ ; which * Smne have thought thai St. Paul huil amvcd so nigh io perfection, that lie could not speak these words oi hinuclj'. 'I'heir inibta!;c teeii^.s to arise from their wrong notions of the /(jw, to whieh St. Ptii//c(jnii)ared himself, and aceording to which he drew uji his judgment. And from the same sonrcc it seenis to he, tliat they canthink tliose words, (ve;. 2-,) a])pl:cablc to the unregenerate . . ./ de!i}(bt in the iui:- of God after t.be iv.v:ard man . W hen , in trnih, tlie nnrc;',cneaatc .ire, in thciriem;)er, dianietricallv opposite to the lnv,- . . . . Jfofiu viii- 7- 70 THUE Rr.LlClON DELINEATED, AND is right, and -which is wrong. — But so much for the first infer- ence, that the hnv^ as a rule oftlutij^ cannot be repealed or abated. And now to proceed, 2. From what has been said, It Is evident that the larv, in its ilireatenings of eternal damnation for the least sin^ is equally in- captible of any repeal or abatement : for if our obligation to love God with all our hearts and obey him in every thing, resulting from the divine perfections, is infinite, eternal, and unchangea- ble ; and if, therefore, the least sin necessarily be infinitely eyil, and deserving of an infinite punishment, and unalterably so, then the law, considered as threatening eternaldamnation for the least sin, is, in its own nature, unalterably holy and just ; and conse- quently it cannot be repealed, consistently with the holiness, jus- tice, and honor of the great Governor of the world. If the Gov- ernor of the world had, in a mere arbitrary lyianner^ made a law that sin should be punished with eternal damnation,thcnhe might, in a mere arbitrary manner ^\\2L\t repealed it : but since, in the nature of things, jj/.y^/tr called for it, that such a law should be made, therefore, so long as the gi'ounds and reasons of the law remain, the law cannot, injustice, be repealed. None can deny but that the gi-eat Governor of the world has actually made a law that sin shall be punished with eternal dam- nation ; and none can deny but that this law is to be put in ex- ecution, to the full, at and after the great judgment-day ; But if Justice had not called for it, surely the infinitely good Governor of the world would never have made such a law, much less would he ever put it in execution : for, to make and execute such a law, in a merely arbitrary, sovereign manner, when, in the nature of \\i\n^, justice does not call for it, would be infinite- ly cruel and tyrannical, and perfectly inconsistent with the di- vine perfections, as is self-evident.. ..See Genesis xviii. 25. and E-zekiel xviii. 2 J. Eat, then, if the great Governor of the world made this law not arbitrarily, but because, in the nature of things, Jw.y?;ce call- edfor it, then, so long as the reason and ground of the law re- main, the law itself cannot, injustieey ever be repealed. If jus* DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 71 tice called for its being made, then it cannot be wi-made, con- sistently with justice, so long as the ground and reason of it re- main, as is self-evident. But the reason of the law is, in the nature of things, unalterable : for the reason of the law was the infinite eoiloj sin^ whereby it deserved an infinite punishment. As long, therefore, as sin remains an infinite evil, so long must the law stand unrepealed : but sin will alwajs be an infinite evil^ so long as we are under infinite obligations to love God with all our hearts, and obey him in every thing, which we shall always be, so long as God remains infinitely glorious and amiable, and this will be forever ; therefore, this law can never possibly, con- sistently with divine jwAf/ct', be repealed. For any, therefore, to desire to have it repealed, is to turn enemy to the holiness, and justice, and honor of the supreme Ruler of the world, as well as to his law and government ; and argues that they have no regard to the rectitude and fitness of things, but only to self-interest ; as those among men are real enemies to the civil government who desire the good and whole- some laws thereof to be repealed : And it is upon this ground that St. Paul concludes carnal men to be at einnity against God, because they are enemies to his law....(/?5W2, viii. 7.) For if men loved God, they would be disposed to love his law and government, which express his nature. To suppose, therefore, that the Son of God came into the world and died, that the lav»^, in its ihreatenings, might be re- pealed^ is to suppose tliat he also is turned an enemy to God.. .to his holiness and justice. ...to his law and government ; and that he is properly gone over to be on the side of his father's rebel- lious subjects. Besides, to what purpose would it have been (on the hj^ioth- esis of these men), for Christ to have died, that the law, in its thrcatcnings, might be repealed ? What need was there of it ? or what good would it have done ? For if, mjh'stice, it ought to have beep repealed, there was no need of his dying to procure this ; or if, injustice^ it ought 729t to be repealed, then his dying could not procure it, and so would do no good. The righteous L 72 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND Governor of the world would have repealed it of his own ac- cord, if it had been right and fit so to do ; and if, in the nature of things, it was not right, then not any thing whatever could persuade him to do it. But the truth is, Christ came into the world, and died to an- sxver all the demands of the laxv ; that so, although the sinner be saved, yet the law might never be repealed, but be firmly estab- lished : for the Governor of heaven and earth was utterly against the law being repealed, as a thing in itself infinitely un- reasonable : And therefore the Apostle says, Do xve make void the law through faith P God forbid! yea^ we establish the law.... Rom. iii. 31. And indeed it was nothing but God's infinite aversion to repeal the law, as a thing in itself infinitely unfit and wrong, that was the thing which made the death of Christ needful : for, if the law might have been repealed, sinners might have been saved without any more ado ; but, if it could not, and must not be repealed, then die demands of it must be an- swered by some means or other, or every sinner damned : And now Christ stepped in and did this j and so secured the honor of God's holiness and justice, law and government, and open- ed a way for the sinner's salvation. And this account of the reason of Christ's death the scriptures plainly give us : — Gal. iii. 10, 13, 14.. ..Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things xvritten in the book of the law to do them. — Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law^ being made a curse for us^ That the blessing of Abraham rfiight come on the Gentiles^ through yesus Christ : For (Heb. ix. 22.) without shedding of blood there is no remission: Therefore (I^om. in. 25,26.) Christ was set forth to be a propitiation for sin. ...to declare his righteousness ....that he might be just., and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus : And hence (ver. 31,) Do we make void the laxu through faith f God forbid ! yea, zve establish the law. Yea, the Apostle evidently sets out upon this hypothesis, that the law is not repealed, but stands in full force : He lays this down as zfrst principle^ in that argumentative discoui-se \\'hich we have in the three first chapters of his epistle to the Romans: DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 73 Chap. i. ver. 18....7'A^ wrath of God is revealed from heaven agahist all ungodliness and un righteousness of men . And taking this for granted, he goes on to prove, that both Jervsand Greeks ore all under sin, and so the xviiole world guihy before God ; to the 19th verse of the 3d chapter : And hence he argues, that by the deeds of the laxv no flesh could be justified. But now, if the law was repealed, the whole world was not guilty before God, nor any one in the world : For sin is not ityiputed ivhere there is no /aw.. ..Rom. V. 13. And if the law was repealed, what need was there of such a long train of arguments, to prove, that no flesh could be justified by the law ? For it would have been enough to have said, that a repealed law could neither justify nor condemn any body. And why does he use such arguments as he does ? For thus he*reasons, " The law requires perfect " obedience as a condition of life, and threatens tribulation and ** wrath against every soul of man that doth evil : But Jews and " Gentiles have all sinned : therefore are all guiltv and condemn- *' ed according to law ; and consequently cannot be cleared and "justified by law :" For all this reasoning supposes that the law is as much in force as ever it was : And, accordingly', he goes on to show, that the design of Christ's death was to an- swer the demands of the law, that there might be a way open- ed for the salvation of sinners, consistent with divine justice, and, at the same time, the law not be made void, but establish- ed ; as we have before observed. — And now this being the case. Hence, we find the scriptures every where look upon those who have not a special interest in the righteousness of Christ, by faith, as being as much under the wrath of God and curse of the law, as if Christ had never died. John iii. \S....He that be- lieveth not is condemned already : Ver. o6....The wrath of God abideth upon him : And, Gal. iii.. 10.. ..^a- inany as are cf the xuorks of the law are under the curse : And, Rom. i. 18.. ..The xvralh of God is revealed from heaven, ag<ii fist all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Thus the wrath of God is revealed against the unbeliever ; yea, abides upon him ; yea, the law condemns and curses him : But 74 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND if the law had been repealed by the death of Christ, all the world would have been freed from the curse : For a repealed law can neither bless the righteous, nor curse the wicked ; but stands for nothing. And hence, also, we find that Christless sinners, when awa- kened by the holy spirit to see and feel what a state they are in, are always convinced that they are under the wrath of God and curse of the law , and hereby are made to understand their need of a Savior.... (/^om. iii. 19, 20.) But if the law had been repealed by the death of Christ, this could not be ; for they would then have been under no wrath, nor curse ; nor would any have ever felt a sp'u'it of bondage^ as they do in every age of the world, and as they used to do in St. Paul's day....(i?om. viii. 15.) For it is the/ctty only that works wrath. ...Horn. iv. 15. And hence we shall find, even all the world shall find, and thousands and thousands to their everlasting sorrow, that when the clay of judgment comes, the law shall be executed with the utmost severity upon all that know not God, and obey not the gospelof Jesus Christ, ...(11. Thes. i. 7, 8.) And God's justice,in so doing, will shine bright in the sight of all worlds ; for he de- signs, on that day, to reveal the righteousness of his judgments : and hence it is called the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.. ..(Rom. ii. 5.) But if the law is repealed by the death of Christ, and if God has told the world that he has repealed it.. ..for him now to revive it, and judge and condemn the world by it, would be to cast contempt upon the death of Christ, and deceive his poor creatures, and unmercifully and unrighteously judge and condemn them, by a law that was re- pealed....a law they never were under, and so ought never to have been judged by. From the whole, therefore, it is evident, that the law that threatens eternal damnation for the least sin, never has been, and never will be repealed. Well, then, (if this be the case) may ministers thunder hell and damnation against a secure, wicked World ; and well may poor sinners tremble under a sense of divine wrath, when their eyes begin to be opened to see where they are : for all those DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 75 comforts that the formalist gets by thinking the law is abated or disannulled, and so his state safe, are but the result of an er- roneous head, and a heart secure in sin. And what has been said under this particular, will rationally account for all the ag- ony and distress of an awakened sinner. When God, the great Governor of the world, the revenger of sin, begins to make the poor sinner remember his ways and his doings which have not been right, and sec what a creature he is, and wl.ut a condition he is in, and be sensible of what he deserves ; and when he comes to understand that his soul is forfeited, and that it is right that justice should take place, and that God is at lib- erty to do as he pleases, surely this must be heart-rending, soul-distressing to a poor, sinful, guilty, hell-deserving creature. And if God will not repeal the law, but still insist upon it, that it is holy and just, no wonder the sinner is made to own it too, before ever he is pardoned : For it would be unbecom- ing the supreme Lord of the universe, to grant a pardon to a guilty rebel, that is too high-hearted to own that the law, by which he stands condemned, is holy and just. O how right it is, that die sinner should come down, and see, and know, and own forever, that he is justly condemned, and, as such, apply himself to the sovereign grace of God, through Jesus Ciirist, for a pardon ! And O how sovereign, and free, and di\ ine, is that grace that pardons and saves the poor, sinful, guilty, hell- deserving wretch, through Jesus Christ! (J^om. iii. 19,27.) And thus as God the Father honors the law, by refusing to repeal it, and God the Son, by answering its demands — so does God, the Holy Ghost, by making the }>oor sinner see, and feel, and own, that it is holy and just, before ever he internallv reveals the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ, unto him ; so that the law is honored, and sin is embittered, and the sinner humbled, and grace glorified, all at once : As in the external revelation God has made in his word, the law is before the gospel ; so it is in internal influences and operations of the holy spirit upon the elect ; and that for the same reason, that the Unv might be a school-master, to brin^ men to Christ. 76 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND To conclude, from all that has been said, we may learn what to think of the religion and of the hopes of these two sorts of men. (1.) The legal hypocrite^ who^ s\ip]yos\nQ that the good old laxv is repealed and laid aside, and that a new law^ only re- quiring sincere obedlence^\s established in its room, merely from ' self-love, and for self-ends, sets about duty and endeavors to be sincere ; and here on this foundation builds all his hopes of ac- ceptance in the sight of God : for since the law is not repealed, but stands in full force, therefore the religion of such is not that thing which God requires or will accept ; and their new law is a 7vhim, and their hopes are all built on the sand ; I'heir whole scheme results from a total ignorance of God, and his law, and the present state of mankind ; and is entirely built on falsehood. (2.) The evangelical hypocrite — all whose ya/i/z and Joz/ original- ly result from a supposed discovery of the love of God, or love of Christ, or that his sins are pardoned. This discovery is the foundation of his faith, and his faith is the foundation of his joy and of all his religion : And yet the thing discovered is a lie ; for, as has been proved, every one, until he is a believer, until he has acted faith, is not pardoned, but condemned — is not belov- ed of God, but under his wrath ; and, therefore, to have par- don of sin and the love of God discovered before the first act of faith, and to have such a discovery lay the foundation for the first act of faith, and a foundation for all religion, is to be impo- sed upon with a lie, and t > have a gross falsehood lie at the foundation of their faith.... their religion, and of all their hopes. The legal hj'pocrite may be convinced by such scriptures as these.... Luke xviii. 9 — 13....Rom. iii. 20 — 31. and Chapter iv. ver. 3. ; which prove that a man cannot find acceptance with God by his own righteousness ; And the evangelical hypocrite may be convinced by such scriptures asthese.... jfolm iii, 18, 36. Acts iii. 19. ; which prove that a sinner is not pardoned till af- ter faith. A true sight and sense of the law would effectually convince the one, and the other, that all their hopes are built on wrong apprehensions of things, and that all their religion is coun- terfeit ; and that they are yet in the gall of bitterness and bonds DISTINGUISHED TROM ALL COUKTERFEITS. 77 of iniquity : and the one would no longer venture his soul on his own righteousness^ nor the other on his discovery. The law's insisting upon perfect, sinless obedience, would convince the one that his own righteousness might not be depended upon ; and the lawV cursing every unbeliever, would convince the other that his discovery was false ; and the law's requiring us to love God primarily for his own beauty, would convince Ixjtii of their graceless estates, in as much as the religion of both primarily takes its rise from self-lovx. It is from the want of a realizing sight and sense of the nature and extent of the law, and that out of Christ \Ve are exposed to all the curses thereof, that a sinful, guiltv world are so insensible of their graceless, and their wretch- ed and miserable condition, and so apt to flatter themselves that they are rich, and increased in goods, and stand in need of noth- ing. Rom. vii. 8, \)....lVithoiit the laxv sin was dead. I was alive without the Lav 07JCe. Thus we see that the obligation which we were under to love God with all our hearts, resulting from the mfmite excellency of the divine nature^ antecedent to all selfibh considerations, is in- finitelify eternally^ and unchangeably binding : And thus we see a variety of important consequences necessarily following there- from : And I have insisted the longer upon the nature of this obligation, not only because it is the first and greatest, but because it has a mighty influence in all our additional ohW^oXions. — For, 5. And lastly. Jt is from the infinite excellency of the divine naturCy that all otir additional obligations originally derive their strength, their energy, their binding poxver. The infinite ex- cellency of the divine nature so entirely lays the foundation of its being our duty to love God with all our hearts, that were it not for this, it would cease to be our duty, notwithstanding all oth- er confiidcrations. If he were not, by nature, God, it would not be fit that we should love and worship him as God, upon any account whatsoever ; He could have no such right to us, or authority over us, as to make it our duty ; nor could he render it our duty, by showing us any kindness whatsoever; Yea, if he were not, by nature, God, it would be wrong for us to pay liim 78 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND divine adoration ; it would be idolatry ; it would be woi-ship- ping one as God, who, by nature, is ?iot God : And by the same argument which the orthodoxhrwe. been wont to use against the Arians^ who deny the divinity of Christ.... T/'A^ be not a divine person, he ought not to have divine worship paid him; — I say, by the same argument, if God were not, by nature, God, it could not, upon any account, be our duty to love and worship him as God, It is his being, by nature, God — ^his being what he is, and his infinite excellency in being such, which therefore lays the original foundation of all our obligations, and which gives life and energy to all : And, accordinrvly, we may observe, that the original ground and reason upon which God, as Gov- ernor of the world, acts, in making a law that we should love him with all our hearts, is, because he is the Lord ; as is evident from the tenor of the lawitself : — Thou shalt love Me*LoRD,&c./.^. because he is the Lord, &c. Yea, it is upon this ground, origi- nally, that God takes it upon him to give all his laws to us ; for this is the constant style.... 77m* and thus shallye do, for I am THE Lord. Those, therefore, who are influenced to love and worship God 7iot at all, because he is God, but altogether from other consid-. erations....not at all horn a sense of his infinite excellency, but altoo-ether on other accounts, are so far from being truly religious, that they arc, indeed, guilty of great wickedness in all they do: for although they pretend to love and worship God, yet it is not at all because he is God ; — though they pretend to pay divine adoration to him, yet it is not at all because he is a divine Be- ing : so that when they pretend to pay divine worship and ado- ration to God, it is merely from some selfish consideration.... from self-love, and for self-ends ; — there is no true regard to God, but all centers in self : so that self, indeed, is their idol^ and the only God they serve ; and their pretending to love and worship God is mere mockery. When they pretend to love and worship God, it is not at all because he is God., ..not at all from a sense of his divine glory, but only to appease his anger and obtain his favor, or because they consider him as their friend DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 79 and benefactor. And now, to come to God and pretend to worship him asif he was God, and yetnottodo it at all because he is God, but for mean, and mercenary, and selfish ends, is a very complicated wickedness ; and to think to please God in this way, and get into favor by this means, discovers such igno- rance and contempt of God, and a frame of heart so full of se- cret blasphemy, spiritual idolatry, pride and hypocrisv, as can- not easily be expressed : They practically deny his divinity, yet pretend to pay him divine worship; They pretend to serve God, yet really intend only to serve themselves : They make as if they loved God, but only love themselves : Yet so intol- erably mean are their thoughts of God, that thej'^ expect to please him by all this. To make the best of it, all that religion is mere hvpocrisy, which does not primarily take its rise from a sense of the infinite excellency of the divine nature. Thus, then, we see what is the Jirst and chief motive of a genuine love to God. He is a Being of infinite understanding, and of almighty power — infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. ...and so a Being of infinite glory and ex- cellency....and so infinitely amiable, and infinitely worthy to be loved with all our hearts. And this obligation is binding ori- ginallv in itself, antecedent to a consideration of any other mo- tive whatsoever : and it is infinitely, eternally, and unchange- ably binding, and gives life, and energy, and strength to all other obligations. And hence, if we do love God with all our hearts, we do but our duty, and deserve no thanks ; but we are infinitely to blame for the least defect, and can never do any thing to atone for it, but deserve everlasting damnation. And it will always be our duty thus to love God, and the least defect will be always thus blame-worthy, let our circumstances, as to happiness or misery, be what they will. All our hearts will be always due to God, and we shall always stand bound to pay this debt, whether we have any heart for it or no : and God will always appear such an infinite enemy to the least defect, as in his law he. has declared himself to be ; nor is there any hope ©four finding acceptance in his sight, unless it be by a union 80 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND to, and interest in, him who has answered all the demands of the law, in the room of those who believe in him. And all pretence of love to God, which does not take its rise from this foundation, is but mere hypocrisy. All these consequences so necessarily follow, from a supposition of the inHnite excel- lency and amiableness of the divine nature, and so evidently, as that, if God be but seen aright, a sense of his infinite beauty will immediately assure the heart tliat these things are so. A sense of his infinite glory will make us see and feel that we are under infinite obligations to love him with all our hearts, and t'nat we could desei-ve no thanks for doing so, but that the least deii;ct is infinitely wrong, &c. A sense of the infinite glory of God will effectually establish the heart in these things against all the subtle arguments and fair pretences of heretics. A sense of the infinite glory of God, immediately imparted to the soul by tlie spirit of God, whereby the heart is thus divinely established in the belief of the truth, is, therefore, that unction from the holy one^ which all the saints have, whereby they are effectually se- cured from being finally led away by false teachers ; at least, that unction consists partly in this, (I. John ii. 20 — 27,) And at the same time that the people of God are thus established in the belief of these truths, relating to law and duty, from a sense of the infinite gloiy of God ; I say, at the same time this sense of the infinite glory of God begets a disposition in the heart to conform to this law and do this duty. And thus it is that God writes his lazv in our hearts^ and puts it in our inxvard parts^ v/hen he intends to become our Go^,and to make us his people... (Heb. viii. 10, 11.) And hence it begins to be the naturcoi the people of God, to love him with all their hearts ; and their views and their temper, and every thing else being thus entirely Jieru^ hence they are called nexu creatures. Old things are passed awau. and all thinps are become nexv. Bat now, this sense of the infinite glory of God, which thus lays the very lowest foun- dation of true religion, is entirely left out of all false religions. And by this., true religion stands distinguished, as something specifically different frora all the false religions in the world. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFtlTS. 81 And hence we may obser\'e, that it is spoken of in scripture, as something peculiar to true saints, that they see God and knoxv God. Johnviii. 19, 55. ...Tt neither knoiv yne, nor mu Father. John xiv. 19.... The world seeth me no morc^hiit ye see me. I. John \i\.b... .Whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, neither knotvn him. I. John ii. 5.... Herein/ xve do know that we know' him, 'fi^c keep his commandments. I. John iv. 7, B.... Every one that loveth^ knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, And the unregenerate, not knowing God....not havinga sense of his in- finite glory to lay the foundation of their love and of their reli- gion, hence all their love andalltheirreligionentircly take their rise from mere selfish considerations, and nothing but silf-love lies at bottom. And hence it is natural for unregenerate men to think they deserve something for their duties, and as natural to be insensible of the infinite evil of their sins : And so it is their nature to magnify and be proud of their own goodness, and to extenuate and be unhumbled for their badness. And from hence results our native aversion Xo faith and repentance^ and contrariety to the gospel-way of salvation. And nov/ new gospels^ new' sorts of faith and repentance are coined, new notions of religion contrived, to suit the depraved temper and vitiated taste of unhumbled, impenitent sinners, who are concerned to secure their own interest, but care not what becomes of God's honor. Hence errors take their rise, and professing christians are divided into parties, and one runs this way, and another that, and all hope to get to heaven at last. And now, at length, after so great a variety of inferences and remarks, and so large a con- sideration of the first and chief motive of a genuine love to God, I proceed, 2. To take a shortv\c.v>' of the additional obligations which xve lie under ^ to love God with all our hearts. I am the Lord, (this lays the first foundation, and leads the way, when from Mount Sinai the Almighty proclaims his law, but then he imme- diately goes on to add,) thy God, which brought thee out of ihe^ land of Egypt and out of the house cf!/ondage....V^\od. xx. God has such a right to us, and such an authority over us, and has 8t TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND done so many things for us, and promised so many things to us, that our additional obligations to be the Lord's, to love him and live to him, are exceedingly great. Particularly, Nothing is more reasonable than that we should be entirely dedicated to that God, whose we are originally^ and by an entire j underived, and unaliejiable right : especially, considering what he is in himself, and that he is Lord of all things, and, by na- ture, God most high ; Indeed, if our Creator was not, by nature, the most high God, then he could not be the supreme Lord of all .hings ; for there would be one above him ; and so we should not be his, entirely and absolutely ; for he himself, and we his creatures, would belong, originally, to another.. .even to him that, by nature, would be the most high God ; and him we ought to love and worship. But our Creator himself, being absolutely the first, and absolutely supreme, self-existent, and independent, the sole author and Lord of all things, as well as infinitely glo- rious in himself, his right to us is original, underived, and most absolute and entire : and therefore it is infinitely fit and suita- ble that we should be, in the constant frame and disposition of our hearts, absolutely, entirely, and wholly the Lord's, and that we should foi'ever exert all our powers, to the very utmost, to promote his honor and interest. And it is infinitely unreason- able that we should ever set up ourselves, and be attached to any interest of our owm, separate from his. And, inasmuch as he is infinitely better than we are, (yea, all the nations of the earth are less than nothing before hi;n^ and has such an entire right unto us, his interest, therefore, should be regarded as more val- uable than our own.. ..yea, infinitely more : For if our own in- terest appears as valuable to us as his, we set ourselves upon a level with him, and claim as great a right to ourselves as he has ; and if his interest does not appear as being of infinitely greater value to us than our own, we do not esteem him as being infi- nitely better than we are ourselves, and his right to us infinitely greater than our own right to ourselves is. It is, therefore, in- finitely reasonable, since God is what he is, and has such a right tx) us as he has, that we should be constantly, from the very DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 83 bottom of our hearts, wholly his, and every moment live wholly to him, and always have his interest lie most near our hearts, as being of infinitely more worth, value, and importance than our own : As Moses, who, in a measure, was made partaker pf this divine nature, in the anguish of his heart, cries, when God tells him he will cutoff Israel, and make of him a great nation, "Lord, let my name be blotted out of thy book ; let it be forgot- " ten from among the living, and be never heard of again in *' the world that ever I was in being : But what will become of " thy great name?'''' — God's honor and interest were dear to him ; but he, comparatively, cared not for his own at a//....Exod. xxxii. — Num. xiv. But this our obligation to be entirely the Lord's, is still in- finitely increased, if we consider the authority of the su- preme Governor oixhe. world, which, by his express law^ has en- joined this upon us. It is not only infinitely fit, in its own na- ture, that we should love God with all our hearts, considering what he is in himself, and that we should be entirely for him, in the temper of our minds, considering what an entire right he has to us as his creatures, who have received all we have from him, and are absolutely dependant on him for all v.e want ; but God has, by /aw, as Governor of the world, enjoined this upon us as our duty, and that with all his authority : And now, con- sidering what he is in himself, and the natural right he has to all things, and how entirely we are his, and absolutely under his government,^his authouity is infinitely binding ; especially, considering how infnitdy engaged he appears to be to see that his law be exactly obeyed, in promising eternal life on the one hand, and threatening eternal damnation on the other : This his infinite cngagcdness^ lays us under infinite bonds to be and do exactly what he requires. But still, our obligation to love him with all our hearts, and be wholly the Lord's, is yet infinitely more increased, if we con- sider what ways the Lord has taken with us in this apostate world, since our rebellion agaii-!;=t him. ..since wc have lost all es- teem for him, turned enemies to him, cast off his authority, and 64 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND practically bid defiance to his power and justice : for, instead of immediately dooming all this lower world to blackness of darkness forever, he has sent his Son, his only begotten Son, from heaven, to bring us the news of pardon and peace, and, by his own death, to open a way for our return imto him, and to call and invite us to return : And now, with a liberal hand, he strews common mercies all round the world, among evil, un- thankful, guilty, hell-deserv'ingrebels, and fills the heartsof all with food and gladness ; and sends forth his messengers to proclaim it to tlie ends of the earth, that it is his will that all his rebellious creatures lay down their weapons of rebellion — acknowledge the law, by which they stand condemned, to be holy, just, and good, and look to him through Jesus Christ for pardon as a free gift, •and through Jesus Christ return unto him, and give up them- selves to him entirely, to love him and live to him, and delight in him forever. And while the world in general make light of aUr this, and go to their farms, and to their merchandize, and many are enra- ged and cr}'' out against the messengers of peace, and stone some and kill others (^Mat. xxii.) — that now he should, of his own sov- ereign good pleasure, according to his eternal purpose, seizt here and there one, by his all-conquering grace, and stop them in their career to hell, and make them see and feel their sin and guilt, and own the sentence just by which they stand condemn- ed, and bring them as upon their knees to look to free grace through Jesus Christ for a pardon, and through Jesus Christ to give up themselves forever to him — that Tioif he should receive them to favor, and put them among his children, and become their father and their God, in an everlasting covenant, and un- dertake to teach and lead... to quicken and strengthen... to cor- rect and comfort, and so to humble, and purify, and sanctify^ and fit them for his heavenly kingdom ; and, while they are in this world, to give them all things that are best for them, and make all things Avork together for their good, and finally bring them unto, and possess them of eternal glory and blessedness, in the full enjoyment of himself forever ; — for a God oi infinite DISTINGUISHED FROJI ALL COUNTERFSITS. 85 greatness and glory to deal jwi jo, with just such creatures, is the most amazing and astonishing grace ; and lays infijiite bonds upon believers to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, and to live to him forever, and has the greatest tendency to an- imate them so to do : And thus, by these brief hints, we have a general view of the additional motives of a true and genuine love to God. As God's bringing up the children of Israel out of Eg^'pt — leading them through the wilderness — driving out the heathen from before them, and giving them that good land which flow- ed with milk and honey, and covenanting to be their God, is used so frequently, by Moses and the Prophets, throughout all the Old Testament, as a motive to engage them to cleave to the Lord, and to him only and entirely, and forever ; so God's send- ing his Son into the world, to save his people from their sins, their spiritual bondage, together with all the spiritual and ever- la-^ting blessings of the covenant of grace, are continually used in the New Testament, as arguments to engage believers not to live to themselves, but to him that died for them. — Only here let these thing-s be remembered : (1 .) That a sight and sense of the infinite greatness xaxid glory of God, from whom all good comes, and a sense of their own in- finite meanness and unworthiness, makes all the mercies they receive, infinitely the more endeoring and engaging : for the mcr- ctes themselves now appear unspeakably the ^rca^^r, in that they come from such a God, and to such creatures ; and the infnitc goodness of God shines the brighter in every mercy, and xhefree- ness of his grace is the more conspicuous, on account of which he is infinitely amiable. The infinite greatness and glory of Ciod, in general, ravishes the heart — the infinite moral beauty of the divine gT)odncss and grace, in/>(7r//f7/ilr/;-, ravishes the heart ; and now, that such « Goo' should shew such kindnesses to such a crea- ture, is very affecting. JVho ayn /, 0 Lord God? Andxvhatis my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ? says holy David ...,And is this the manner of men^ 0 Lord God P No surely.... Wherefore thou art great, 0 Lord God : For there is none like 86 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND tJiee^ neither is there amj Godbesides thee.. ..11. Sam. vii. 18 — 22. God is loved for the kindnesses bestowed ; but he is more loved for the infinite beauty of that goodness which is displayed in the bestowment of them, and for his being altogether such a one as he is. So the ^leen of Sheba esteemed Solomon for the kind- nesses he shewed her, but primarily, and much more, for his own personal excellencies : And his personal excellencies made her esteem his favors to her of much greater worth. That ^glorious and ever-blessed GoT) should treat sinners so, is infinitely endear- ing. Now these sensations, which a true believer has, and his love to God arising therefrom,must be vastly different from ev- ery thing v/hich natural men experience, who know not God, and have no higher principle in them than self-love. (2.) Let it also be remembered, that God designs^ by all his dealings and kindnesses to his people, to bring them nearer to himself m. this world, and to the everlasting enjoyment pf himself In the world to come. He means, for the present, to humble tliem, and wean them from the world... .to make them more spiritually and heavenly-minded.... to bring them to be more acquainted with GoJ, and more entirely to take up their rest and contentment in him ; and, therefore, all things are cal- culated, by his infinite wisdom and goodness, to attain this end. And this causes all the wise and kind dealings of God, outward- ly in his providence, and inwardly by his spirit, and that both by way of cotTcction, as well as by way of consolation, to appear in a very affecting and engaging light to true believers. While they see wliat God is in himself, and his infinite beauty in being such. ...while they see how infinitely sufficient he is to be all things to them, and to do all things for them, and the blessedness of living wholly upon him, and trusting wholly in him. ...while they see God calculating all things to bring them to him, and actually find all things working this way, their obligations to love him and live to hirti appear infinitely binding, and their hearts are mightily engaged and animated. This view of things makes all their afflictions appear as great mercies ; because they are so wisely calculated to bring them near to God : P^alrn cxix. Tl. •ISTlNGUISUliD FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 87 This view of things adds an inftnite value to all the kindnesses of God, over and above what they are worth merely in them- selves, because they are all so wisely calculated to bring them near to God. This is the kernel of all that tender mercy and loving kindness which they see in all their afflictions, and in all their comforts : Heb. xii. 10, 1 1 — Rotu. viii. 28. To be brought near to God, is worth more than all the world ; — there is no por- tion like God.. ..no comfort like that which is to be taken in him : He is tlie godly man's all. Psalm Ixxiii. 25....JVhom have I in heaven but thee P And there is nothing on earth Idesire besides thee. And now that such a God should take nuch methods ^\\\\h jnM such a creature^ to bring him to the possession oi such a good^ is the most amazing goodness, and the most astonishing grace. Now here is a sense of the excellency of the divine na- ture in general^ and a sense of the moral beauty of the divine goodness in particular,, and of the unspeakable mercy God shews to th(nn, which mcnij is injinitely magnified in their account, from the value they have for God, as ihc portion of their souls, from all which their love to God takes its rise ; wliereby their love appears to be exceedingly different from any thing which na- tural men experience, who neither know God, nor relish com- munion with him, but are contrary to him in all things ; and, on- ly from self-love, are glad of the good things they receive from God, which good things they live upon and make a God of — whether they be worldly good things, or great light, and com- fort, and joy of a religious nature. (3.) Let it also be remembered, that all God's gifts to his peo- ple are so many talents bestowed upon thtmyultimately to be im- proved for God^ whereby they are juit under advantages to glo- rify God and do good in the xvorld : And the more they have of worldly substance. ..of natural powers. ..of acquired accomplish- ments, and of the gracious influences of the holy spirit, 8>:c. the greater are their advantages to act for God, to promote his hon- or and interest, and to do good. Now, in proportion as they love God, in the same proportion is his honor and interest, and the good and welfare of his creatures and suiijects, dear unto N 88 TRUE. RELIGION DELINEATED, AND them. The interest and honor of God lie nearer to the hearts ol his people, than their parents, or consorts, or children, or houses and lands — yea, than their own lives ; {Luke xiv. 26.) I'o be Linder advantages, therefore, to promote his honor and interest, must, in their account, be esteemed a-a inestimable priv- ilege. Hence, they love God for all things they receive from him, because by all they are put under such advantages to live to him and serve him, seeking his interest, and honor, and glo- ry ; a remarkable instance of which v/e have in Ezra, thathearty friend to God, and to his honor and interest.. ..See Ezra vii. 2r, 28, compared with the rest of the chapter. Now herein, again, their love to God for his benefits is evidently different from any thing which natural men experience, who have no higher principle than self-love, and are entirely actuated by it. And as the love of the saint and of the hypocrite thus greatly differ in their nature, so do they also differ as greatly in their fruits and effects, Ezra loved God greatly for his kindnesses to him, because thereby he was put under advantages to do so much for God's glory, and for the good of his people. And now see hov^ active he is for God, and how he exerts himself to do good, and to reform eveiy thing that was amiss among the Jews, {\'Qm the eighth chapter m\6. on ; while the hvpocritical Jews, who, no doubt, were also greatly affected with the mercy of God, in their deliverance from their long captivity, were so far from being active for God, that they, not caring for Vis honor or his laws, committed great abominations. ...^zrtt ix. 1. So the chil- dren of hrael, at the Red-Sea, seemed to be full of love to God, as well as Moses ; but as they had different sorts of love, so their carriage did as greatly differ afterwards, for the course of forty years : and no wonder,. . .for the hypocritical Israelites only loved themselves, and cared only for their own interest; but Moses loved God, and cared, above all things, for his honor. Thus we see, not only what additional obligaticris believers are under to love God with all their hearts, but also how, and in what manner, they influence and excite them so to do : and what I have offered effectually obviates the common plea of DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERrEITS. 80 formalists and all self-seekeics, That all the saints in scripture are represented as loving God for his benefits ; whence they ar- gue, that they are right, and their religion genuine, \vhich results merely from self-love, and the fear of hell, and hope of heaven, or from a confident persuasion that their sins are pardoned; For it is evident, that true sain.ts do not love God for his hene- fits, nor eye their own happiness, in tlie same nianner that such men do ; but in a manner altogether different. Saints know the Ood they love, and love him, primarily, for what he is in him- self, and because he is just what he is : But hypocrites know not God, nor love him ; but are, in all things, contrary to him, and are only pleased with the false image of God they have framed in their fancies, merely because they think that he loves them, and has done, and will do, great things for th?m. Saints are affected with the divine goodness. itself, for, the iTvpral beauty there is in it ; but hypocrites are affected only with the fruits and effects of divine goodness tathem, as tending to make them happy. Saints love God for his benefits, under a real sense of their infinite unworthiness of the least of them ; but so it is not with liN-pocrites. Saints love God for all the streams of di- vine goodness, because they are designed, and actually do lead them up to God, the fountain, who is the portion of their souls : But hypocrites live upon the streams, disrelishing the fountain. Saints love God, dearly, for all his gifts, becavi3e by them thev are put under such advantages to live to God, to pron^otc his interest and honor, and to do good in the world ; but hypocrites are confined within thr narrow cii cle, self The Ipvc of s3.^nts to God animates them to live to God, and to exert themselves to promote his honor and interest, and to do all the good they can : but the hypocrite, after all his pretended love to God, cares not what becomea of his interest and honor, if it may but go w cU with him, his friends and party : So that, while true saints lo\e God for his benefits, they act, in a ^rocvfj^/v manner, conforma- ble to the law df God, and to the reason and nature of things ; whereas, all the love of the nv)st refined hypocrite is naerely th.e woi'kings of a natural self-lo\e, in a manner directly contra- 90 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND r}' to the law of God, and to the reason and nature of things ; and is nothing but mere mockery... .Pia/wz Ixxviii. 34, 35, 36, 37 — Zech.vu.S,e. Thus we ha^'e gone through the two first general heads^ and see rvhat is implied in love to God^ 'aw^frovi what motives rve ought to love him : And, from the whole, we may learn so much of the nature of true religion, as that, with much evidence and certainty, we may conclude, ' First, That all that seeming love to God is counterfeit^ •which arises merehjfrom merCs corruptions beiiig gratified : As when ambitious men are, by God's providence, raised to high degrees of honor, and worldly men are prospered in all which ihey put their hands unto, and herefrom the one and the other rejoice and bless God, and seem to love him, and verily think they are sincere : This is all hypocrisy ; for, in truth, they only love their corruptions, and are glad they are gratified. And accor- dingly, instead of improving all their riches and honor for God, to advance his interest and honor in the world, they improve all only for themselves, to promote their own ends ; and care not what becomes of God's honor, and interest, and kingdom ; and commonly such men shew themselves the greatest enemies to the cause of God, and to the religion of Christ : and should God but touch all they have^ they would curse him to his face. Secondly, We may be equally certain, that all that seeming love to God is counterfeit^ that arises merely from a legal^ self- righteous spirit • As when a man, only because he is afraid of hell, and has a mind to be saved, sets himself to repent, and re- form, and do duties, and tries to love God and aim at his glory, to the intent that he may make some amends for past sins and recommend himself to the divine favor, and so to escape hell and obtain heaven : And when he has grown so good, as to have raised hopes of attaining his end, he is ravished at the thoughts, and rfjoices, and blesses the Lord, and loves him. It is plain all this is hypocrisy : for the man, in truth, only loves himself, and is concerned merely for his own interest ; but does not care at all for God, his glory or honor ; for, if there DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 91 were no heaven nor hell, such would serve God no more. Chil- dren will work for their parents, without being hired, because they love them : but hirelings will not strike a stroke if there is no money to be gotten ; because they care for nothing but their own interest : Hence this sort of hypocrites are wont to say, that if they once believed that God had made no promises to the best the>' can do, they would never do more. And fai^ther, it is plainly all hvpocrisv ; for, if their consciences but fall asleep, so that they are troubled no more with the thoughts of another world, they will leave off their duties, let down their watch, break all their resolutions, and be as bad as ever : and hence their doctrine of falling from grace probably took its rise. And their hypocrisj' is still more evident, in thai ihey are common* ly so much concerned to find out what the least measure of sa- ving grace is, and so strenuous in pleading for great abatements in the law : for, from hence, it is plain, that all they are after is only to get just grace enough to carry them to hea\'en ; as a lazy hireling, who is for doing but only just work enough to pass for a day's work, that he may get his wages at night, which is all he wants. Thirdly, We may be as certain, that, all that seeming love is counterfeit ^xvh'ich arises merely from a strong confcknce which a man has^ that his sins are pardoned^ and that Christ loves hirn^ andtoill save him : As when a man is under great terrors, and has fearful apprehensionsof hell anddamnation,and is ready even to give himself up for lost : but suddenl}' gi-eat light breaks in- to his mind ; he sees Christ with his arms open and smiling, and it may be his blood running, and hears him, as it were, say, Be of good cheer, thy sins areforgiven thee.... I have loved thee with an everlasting lovc....Come^ thou blessed of my Father^ inherit the kingdom ; — and uow he is certain tb.at his sins are pardoned, and that heaven is his, and he is even ravished with jov, and calls upon all to praise the Lord : For all this proceeds mei-ely from self-love, and there is no love to God in it : for all this love arises from his false confidcrnce, and not from any true knowledge of God ; and commonly such turnout as the Israel- 92 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND ites did, who sang God^s praise at the Red-Sea, when Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned, and they delivered, and their hopes of getting to Canaan highly raised ; but thei/ soonforgat his xvorks^ and rebelled against him, and dieir carcases fell in the wilderness. They loved themselves^ and therefore they rejoi- ced at their wonderful deliverance ; they loved themsek es^ and therefore they murmured three days after, when thev came to the bitter waters : Their joys and their murmurings pro- teeded from the very same principle, under different circum- stances ; but the love of God was not in them : and just this is the case here. And this is commonlv the event, that, the fears of hell being now over, their joys gradually abate, and they grow more and more secure, till, after a while, they return to folly, as the dog to his vomit, and as the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire ; and so are as bad, and sometimes worse than e\ier....(II. Pet. ii. 20, 21, 22.) And now they plead, that the best are dead sometimes, and that David and Pe- ter had their falls ; and so keep their consciences as quiet as they can : and thus they live along v/hole months and years to- gether. Fourthly, and lastly, We may also be certain, that all that seeming love to God^ivhich arises merehj fromthe gratification of spiritual pride ^ is counterfeit : As when men dream dreams, see visions, and hear voices, and have impressions and revelations whereby they are set up in their ov/n esteem, and in the opinion of others, for some of the most peculiar favorites of heaven, and veiy best men in all the world ; and hence they rejoice, and bless God and mightily love him : but, in truth, they are only ravished with self-conceit, and feel blessedly to thuik themselves some of the best men in the world, and to think they shall short- ly sit at the right hand of Christ in heaven, among the apostles and martvrs, v, hile their persecutors and haters will be burning in hell ; but they neither know God nor love him ; and, for the most part, by heretical doctrines, or wicked li\'es, or both, are a scandal to religion : These are so far from being trul}' religious, that theif are the very tarea xvhich the devil soxvs.,. .Mat. xiii. 39. DISTINGUIdHKB !• ROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 93 In each of these sorts of love there are these three defects or faults : — (1.) They have no true hiorvle^gc o( God ; and so (2.) they only love themselves ; and (.3.) then- seeming love to God arises from a mistake. The amintious and worldly man thinks himself very happy, because he rises in honor and estate ; the lepjjlist thinks that God loves him, and v, ill save him for his duties ; the next lirmlv believes that his sins are pardoned ; and the last, that Ciod looks upon him one of the best men in the world ; but all are wofully mistaken ; and w hen, at the day of judtyment, they come to see their mistake, their love to God will vanish away, and they turn everlasting haters and blasphemers of the most High. And another defect in these and all other sorts of counterfeit love, is, that they none of them will ever make men truly odedient : for when men's seeming to love God is nothing but self-love in another shape, all their seeming obedience will, in reality, be nothing but self-seeking : They may pretend to be the sen'ants of God, but will only mean, ul- timately, to serve themselves. SECTION III. CONCERNING THE MEASURE OF LOVE TO GOD REqUIHED IN THE DIVINE LAV.'. I proceed now to the next thing proposed, which was, III. To show xt'A^/^ is that measure of love to God^ xvhich the laxv requires of all mankind. — And our blessed Savior clears up this point in the most plain and familiar language : — Tliciishait love the Lord thy God^ xvith all thy heart., and xvith all thy son/., andxvith all thy mind ; and it is added, in Mark xii. 30, With all thy strength ; i. e. in other words, we ought to love God in a measure exactly proportionable to the largeness of our natural powers and faculties ; which to do, is all that perfection whicii God c\er rcx^uired of any of his creatures.'* • The law runs thus : TJmiu shah love the Lord thy GjJ with all th\ heart, i^cc. and thy neighbor as tbysdf. God is to have the highest degree ot love \vc arc capable of ; but a viiich less degree is due to ourselves and neigh- bors : So that, according to the tenor (>f the law, our love to God is to bs greater and vuire Jciveiit, thnw our luve to ourselves. And therefore the Irw does »u])]>ose iliAt God is wonhj- of our su|<rcni<i love for w h»t he is 94 TRUE RKLIGION DKLIN EATEl.', AND When the law requires us to love God with all our hearts^ it either means, to the utmiost extent oi' our nuiv.ra! capacity, or else only to the utmost extent of our moral capacity ; i. e. only so much as v/e are inclined to : And then the less we are incli- ned to love God, the less love is required ; and so, if we have no heart, no inclination to love him, then nolcve at all is requi- red : And, according to this rule, the carnal mind, which is enmity against God, is not in diity bound X.o be subject to the law, neither indeed can be : And where there is no law, there is no transgression j — where there is no duty required, there can be no sin committed : and so the vilest of mortals are the freest from sin, and the least to blame ; which is the grossest absurdity. AVhen, therefore, the law requires us to love God with all our hearts^ it has no reference to our moral inclination^ but only to our natural capaciiy : And indeed nothing can be more unrea- sonable, than to suppose that the law only requires us to love God so far as we have a heart and disposition to do so ; for this would leave us entirely at liberty to do otherwise, if we were so inclined, and, in effect, it w^ould make the law say, If you feel inclined to love God^ more or less^ so far it is ijoiir duty^ but farther you arc not bowid^ but are at your liberty ; i. e. the law is not binding, any farther than you are inclined to obey it ; /. e. in reality it is no law, but every man is left to do as he plea- ses : The whole hearty therefore, does the law mean to require, let our temper, inclination, or disposition be v»^hat it will. Ciod, the great author of all tilings, has been pleased to create intelligent beings of different sizes, some of a higher rank, and some of a lower — some of greater capacities, and some of less..., in himself, antecedent to any selfish consideration, from a sight and sense of whicii ivcrth'u'.ess our love to God is primarily to take its rise : For, in the nature of things, it would he impossible for us, from self-love, to love ^oAtiiore than ourselves. ...Or thus, the law requires us to love God wore than ourselves ; but, in the nature of things, it is impossible that merely from self-love we should love God more than ourselves : therefore the law supposes that there is something in God to excite our love, antecedent to any selfish consideration, and that our love to him is not to proceed mere- ly from self-love : For, otherwise, the law requires us to do that which in its own nature is absolutely impossible. ...And this, by the way, may serve still farther to confirm the truth of what has been before said. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 95 some are angels, and some are men j and among the angels some are of larger natural powers, and some of smaller. So it is among the good angels, and so it is among the e\ il angels : There are angels and arch-angels, i. e. beings of various natu- ral powers and capacities, among the good and bad : And so it is among men — among good and bad, there is a \ery great variety — some have larger souls than others. Intelligent beings are capable of a degree of knowledge and love, exactly proportionable to their natural powers. Angels are capable of a degree of knowledge and love, greater than men, and one man of a greater degree than another. As they are of difFerentsizes....of larger and smaller natural powers, so their capacities to know and love are some greater, and some less : So it is among good and bad. All that perfection which God requires of any of his creatures, is a measure of knowledge and love bearing an exact proportio7i to their natural abilities. Since God has manifested what he is, in his works and ways, and since he is infinitely glorious in being what he is, and has an original and entire right to his in- telligent creatures ; therefore he requires all angels and men to attend diligently to the discoveries which he has made of himself, and learn what he is, and behold his glor)', and love him with all their hearts ; This is the extent of what God requires of the highest angel in heaven, and this is exactly what he reqiiires of all the children of men upon earth. The law requires no more than this of mankind, under a no- tion tiiat their natural powers are lessened by the fall. ^Vhether we are beings of as large natural powers as we should have l-een, had we never apostatized from God, or no, yet this is plain, we are no where in sciipture blamed for having no larger natural powers, nor is any more ever required than all the hearty and all the soul^ and all the )?iind,7xnd all the strength : This is eviclefiL through the whole Bible. And the law requires /zc/c'wof mankind, undera notion that they are turned enemies to God, and have no heart or inclination to iove him. Be itso, thatmankind are ever so averse to attend to O 96 TRf £ RELIGION DELINEATED, AN» thosemanifestatlons which God has made of himself, and ever so averse to take in rightnotionsofGod,and eversofarfrom adispo- sition to account him infinitely glorious in being what he is, and fromaninclinationtolovehimwithalltheir hearts; vet the divine law makes no allowances. ...no abatements ; but insists upon the same. ..the very same it ever did : — Thoushaltlove the Lord thy God ruith all thy heart. Indeed, some do dream that the law is very much abated : But what saith the scriptures as to this point ? Does the word of God teach us that there is any abatement made ? Where do we read it ? Where is it plainly asserted, or in what texts is it implied ? Truly, I know nothing like it in all the Bible, nor what text of scripture this notion can be built upon : and besides, if the law is abated, when was is abated ? Was it abated immedi- ately upon Adam's full? Surely no ; for, above two thousand years after, from Mount Sinai, God declared that he required sinless perfection, and threatened a curse against the man that should fail in the least TpomU. ..Exod. xx. — Deut. xxvii. 26. — Was it abated upon Christ's coming into the world ? Surely no ; for he, in the strongest terms, taught his disciples that it was in full force, and that it was their duty to be perfectly holy, and that in designed opposition to the doctrine of the Pharisees, who, in effect, held that the law was abated.... M/^ v. 17 — 48. Was it abated after Christ's death and resurrection ? Surely no; for St. Paul always taught that the Christian scheme of reli- gion, which he preached, did not make void, but rather estab- lished the \2L\Y....Rom. iii. 31 — and St. James insisted upon it, that it must not be broken in any one ^o'lnt.... James ii. 10. — When was it abated therefore ? W^hy, savs Christ, Till heaven and earth shall pass axvay., one jot or tittle of the knu shall in fio rvise faiI....7A-CLi. v. 18. And besides, if the law is abated, in zbliat particidar is it abated, and/i<3ry great are the abatements ? — Are there any abatements made in our duty to God ? Surely no ; for we are still required to love hira with all our hearts, and more than this never was demanded : Or are any abate- Bients made m our dat\" to our fellow-men ? Surely no ; for we JJISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTKRTEITS. ^7 arc still required to love our neighbor as ourselves, and morfr than this never was enjoined : Or is there any abatement made in the internal part of our duty ? Surely no ; for the whole heart is still required, and more than this never was insisted upon : Or, finally, is diere any abaten^ent made in the external part of our duty ? Surely no ; for we are still required to be/io!y in all viatmer of conversation^ as he that has called us is holt/^ (I. Pet. i. 15.) and more than this was never required : So that, from the whole, we have as much reason to think that the lav/ requires sinless perfection /Tcrt', as that ever it did : yea, this point can- not be plainer than it is ; for the law, in fact, is the ver\' same k was from the beginning, word for word, without the leat alte- ration : — Thoii shall love the Lord thy God ivith all thy hearty &c. and thy neighbor as thyself; so that, if it ever did require sinless perfection,^ it does now. The highest pitch of holiness, the saints in heaven will ever arrive to, will onl) be to love God with a// their hearts ; and ex- actly the very same is required of every man upon earth: And it was because St. Paul understood the law in this sense, that he had always such a mean and low opinion of all his attain- ments ; for, while he compared what he Wrt.?, with what he ought to be^ he plainly saw how the case stood : and therefore he says, The knv is spiritjcaly but lam carnal^ sold under sin.... 0 wretched man that lam /...Rom. vii. 14, 24. So that, upon the whole, thi^ seems to be the true state of the case : — as there are various capacities among all intelligent crea- tures in general, so there are among men, in particular, souls of various sizes. ...some of larger natural capacities, and some of smaller ; but souls of different capacities, are capable ofdilTerent degrees of love. A degree of love exactlj- equal to the natural capacity of the soul, is perfection : and this is what the law re- quires, nor more nor less; — r/// the heart, <^///the soul, a// the mind, rt//the strength. The saints and angels in heaven love God thus, and hence they are perfect in holiness ; and, so far as we fall short of this, we are sinful : This is the exact rule of duty. And now, this law is holy^Just^-dnd good. The thing required 98 TRUE RELIGION DELIKEATED, AND quired, is, in its own nature, right, fit, and suitable. God is worthy to be loved with all our hearts, and this is just what is required. It is right we should have a degree of love to our- selves, and it is right we should love our neighbors as ourselves i but it is fit we should love God with all our hearts : Consider- ing what he is, and what we are, it is, in its own nature, infinite* ly fit and right ; and not to do so, infinitely unfit and wrongi Indeed, God is worthy of an infinitely greater degree of love tliaii v.e, or any of his creatures, are capable of. He only is capable of a complete view of his own infinite glon', and of a full sense of his o%\-n infinite beauty, and of a love perfectly adequate to his own loveliness : and he does not require or expect any of his creatures to love him to that degree he loves himself ; only, as he loves himself with all his heart, so he requires and expects that they love him with all their hearts : And there be- ing the same reason for one as for the other, the law is, there- fore, in its own nature, perfectly right, and just, and equal. In- deed, had God required the most exalted of his intelligent crea- tures to have loved him in the same degree that he himself does, llien tlie thing required would, in its own nature, have been ab- solutelv impossible, and what he could have no reason to expect : Or, ifhe had required the meanest of his intelligent creatures to havelovedhimin the samedegreethaX Gabriel does, it would hav«f been a thing naturally impossible; but now he only requires ever}' one to love him with all their hearts, this is r/^Af....perfect- \y right, just, and equal. Less than this could not, injustice, have been required of each one ; injustice, I mean, to the Deity, who ought to have his due from each one, and whose proper right the Governor of the world ought to assert and maintain. Thus we see the la^v is exactly upon a level with our natiircd capacities ; it only requires us to love God with all our hearts r and thus we see, that the law is, therefore, perfectly reasonable, just, and equal. Deut. x. 12....Anduovj, Israel, rvhat doth the Lord thy God require of thee, hit to fear the Lord thy God, to xvalk in all his loays, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and zviffi all thy soul ? DISTINGUISHED TROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 99 Hence, as to a natural capacity, all mankind are capable of a perfect conformity to this law ; for the law requires of no man any more than to love God with all his heart. The sinning angels have the same Jiatural capacities now, as they had Ijcforc they fell ; they have the ssLine faculties^ called the understanding and xoill — they are still the same beings, as to their /2rtfi/;a/ pow- ers. Once they loved God with all their hearts ; and now they hate him with all their hearts : Once they had a great degree of love ; jiow they have as great a degree of hatred ; — so that .they have the same natural capacities now as ever. Their temper^ indeed, is different ; but their capacittj is the same ; and, therefore, as to a natural capacity^ they are as capable of a per- fect conformity to the law of their Creator as ever they were. So, Adam, after his fall, had the same soul that he had before, as to its natural capacities^ though of a very different temper ; and, therefore, in that respect, was as capable of a perfect con- formity to this law, as ever. And it is plainlv the case, that all mankind, as to their natural capacities, are capable of a perfect confomnity to the law, Irom this^ that when sinners are convert- ed they have no new natural faculties, though they have a ncro temper : and when they come to love God with all their hearts in heaven, still they will have the same hearts^ as to their 7?^/^?/- ra/ faculties, and may, in this respect, be justly looked upon as the very same beings. In this sense, Paul was the same man when he hated and persecuted Christ, as when he loved him and died for him : and that saine heart ih^A. was once so full of mal- ice, is now as full of love : So that, as to his nr/??<rrt/ capacities, he was as capable of a perfect conformity to this law, when he was a persecutor, as he is now in heaven. When, therefore, men cry out against the holy law of God, which requires us only to love him with all our hearts^ and say, " It is noi just for God *' to require more than we crm do, and then threaten to damn *' us for not doing," they ought to stay a while, and consider what they say, and tell what.thcy mean by their can do ; for it is plain, th:'L the law is exactly upon a level with our natural capacities, and iltat, in ttiis respect, we drefidli/ capable of a per- . 100 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND feet conformity thereto : And it will be impossible for us to excuse ourselves by an inability arising from any other quarter ; as will presently appear : For, to return, From what has been said, we may learn, that there can be nothing to render it, in any measure, a hard and difficult thing, to love God with all our hearts, but our being destitute of -a right temper of mind, and having a temper that is ti-rong : and that, therefore, we are perfectly inexcusable^ and altogether and "wholly to blame^ that we do not. Obj. But I do not blow God ; how^thereforeyCanl lovehim ? Ans. Were you of a right temper^ it would be your r.ature^ above all things, to attend to those discoveries which he has made of himself in his works and in his word ; you would search for the knowledge of him, as men search for silver, and as they dig for hidden treasure : and, were you of a right temper^ it would be natural to take in that very representation which God has made of himself: And now, was it but your nature to at- tend, with all your heart, to the discoveries which God has made of himself... and your nature to take in right notions of him, it would be impossible but that yovi should know xvhat God is ; be- cause he has acted oiit all his perfections so much to the life, and exhibited such an exact image of himself. The works of crea- tion and redemption, and all his conduct as moral Governor of the world, shew just what kind of Being he is : He has discov- ered his infinite understanding and almighty power, and he has shown the temper of his heart ; and all in so plain a manner, that, were it your nature to attend and consider, and take in right notions, it is quite impossible but that you should knovr and see plainly what God is. Obj. But if I have right notions of what God is^yet J cannot see his glory and beauty in being such ; hoiv^ therefore^ can Hove him ? Ans. Were you of a right temper^ it would be your nature to account him infinitely glorious in being what he is. As it is the nature of an ambitious man to see a gloiy in applause, and of a worldly man to see a glory in the things of the world, so it DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 101 would be your nature to see a glory in God ; for what suits oiu* hearts,naturally appears excellent in oureyes. {^ohn viii. 42,47.) Obj. But I feci that I cannot love him ; hoWy therefore^ am I wholly to blame ? Ans. The fault is in him, or in you : Either he is not love- ly, or else you are of a very bad temper : but he is infinittly lovely ; and therefore it is only o^ving to the b;id temper ot yovir heart, and to your being destitute of a right temper, that \ou cannot love him ; and you, therefore, are wholly to blame : In- deed you could not but love him, were you not a ver)- sordid >vretch. Obj. But to love God^ or to have any dispositon to love h'nn^i^ a tiling SUPERNATURAL, clcon beyond the powers cfnature^ im- proved to the utmost : how can /, thevffore^he wholly to blame? Ans. It is a thing supernatural yo\i say ; /. e. in other words, you have no heart to it^ nor the least inclination that way ; nor is there any thing in your temper to work upon by moti\es to bring you to it ; and now, because you are so very bad a crea- ture, Uierefore you are not at all to blame : I'his is your argu- ment : But can you think that there is any force in it ? What ! are moral agents the less to blame the worse Uiey grow ? And are God's laws no longer binding, than while his subjects arc disposed to obey them ? Obj. Buty after all^ I must needs reply ^ as Nicodemus in another case^ How can these things be ? Ans. ^Vliy did not the Jews love their prophets, and love Christ and his apotles ? What was it owing to ? And where did the blame lie ? They were acquainted with them. ...heard them talk and preach, and saw their conduct, and could not but plain- ly j>erceive their temper, and know what sort of disposition they were of, and what sort of men they were ; and yet they did not like them ; but they hated them — they belied them, slandered and reproached them, and put them to death : And no\v^ what >vas the matter ? What was the cause of all this ? Were not their prophets, and Christ and his apostles indeed lovt■l^■, and worthy of their hearty esteem ? Did not all iliat they said and did 102 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND manifest them to be so? Why, then, did they not love them ? — Was it not wholly owing to their not having a right temper of mind, and to their being of so bad a disposition ? And were they not wholly to blame ? — They might say of Christ, That they could see no form nor comeliness in him^ wherefore they sliuld desire him ; and where no beauty is seen, it is impossible there should be any love : But whv did not he appear most amiable in their eyes ? And why were their hearts not ravish- ed with his beauty ? — His disciples loved him, and Martha and Mary and Lazarus loved him ; and why did not the Scribes and Fharisees love him as much ? — Why, because his person and doctrines did not suit them, and were not agi-eeable to the tern' per of their hearts. The bad temper of their hearts made him appear odious in their eyes, and was the cause of all their ill- will towards him : And now, were they not to blame for thia bad temper, and for all dieir bad feelings, and bad carriage to- wards Christ, thence arising ? Yes, surely, if ever any men were to blame for any thing. And now, if God, the father, had been in the same circumstances as God, the son, was then in, he would not have been loved a jot more, or treated a whit better than he was : Indeed it was that image and resemblance of the infinitely glorious and blessed God, which was to be seen in their prophets — in Christ and his apostles, which was the very thing they hated him for : Therefore Christ says. He that ha- teth me^ hatcth my Father also. ...But now have they both seen and hated^ both me and my Father. ...^ohn xv. 23, 24. And Christ attributes it entirely to their want of a right temper, and to the bad disposition of their hearts, that they did not love him, and love his doctrines. If God were your father^ ijou woidd love me.... John viii. 42. He that is of God (of a God-like temper) hear- eth God''s words : ye^ therefore^ hear than not^ because ye are not cfGod^ (Ver. 47.) In truth, the bottom of all your enmity is, that you are of your father^ the devil^ i. e. of just such a temper as he, (Ver. 44.) And now, what think you, whAi Christ comei in flaiaing fire, to take vengeance on an ungodly world ? Will he blame the Scribes and Fharisees for not loving hinj with all their DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 103 hearts, or no ? Or will he excuse the matter, and say, on their bthalf, Tliey could see no form nor comeliness in ine.... I appear- vdvery odious to them,.., they could not love me.. ..they could not but hateme, and no man is to blame for not doin^ 7nore than he CAN ? From the whole, it is plain that mankind are to blame, whol- ly to blame, and perfectly inexcusable, for their not having right apprehensions of God, and for their not having a sense of his gloiy in being what he is, and for their not loving him with all their heart ; because all is owing merely to their want of a right temper, and to the bad disposition of their hearts. Indeed, if we were altogether of such a temper, frame, and disposition of heart as we ought to be, it would be altogether as easy and natural to love God with all our hearts, as it is for the most dutiful child to love a tender and valuable parent : For God is really infinitely amiable ; and were we of such a temper, he would appear so in our eyes ; and did he appear so in our eyes, we could not but love him with all our hearts, and delight in him with all our souls ; and it would be most easy and natu- ral so to do ; for no man ever found any diflficulty in loving that which appears very amiable in his eyes : For the proof of which I appeal to the experience of all mankincL And now, why does not God appear infinitely amiable in our eyes ? Is it because he has not clearly revealed zvhat he is, in his works and in his word ? Surely no ; for the revelation is plain enough. Is it because he is not infinitely amiable in being what he is ? Surely no ; for all heaven are ravished with his infinite beauty. What is it, then, that makes us blind to the infinite excellency of the divine nature ? Wiiy, it can be ov.'ing to nothing but a bad tem- per of mind in us, and to our not being of such a temper as we ought to be. For I appeal to the experience of all mankind^ whether those persons and things which suit the temper of their hearts, do not natunilly appear amiable in their eyes : And cei-tainly, if God does not suit the temper of our hearts, it is not owing to any fault in liim, but the fault must be wholly in ourselves. If the temper and disposition of God (i. e, his mojv P 104 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND al perfections,) be not agreeable to our temper and disposition, most certainly our temper and disposition are very wrong. If God -were your father, ye would love me ; but z/e are of your father the devil, therefore ye hate rc\t.....{yohn viii. 42, 44.) i. e. " If you were of a temper like God, ye would love me ; but be- ing of a contrar}^ temper, hence you hate me. If you were of a right temper, I should appear amiable unto you ; and it is wholly owing to your bad temper, that I appear otherwise. If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the xvorks of Abraham.''^ ....(verse 39.) Ob J. But be it so, yet I cannot help being of such a temper as lam of ; how, therefore, am Izvholly to blame ? Ans. You have as much power to help being of such a tem- per, as the scribes and Pharisees had ; but Christ judged them to be wholly to blame, and altogether inexcusable. They could not like Christ or his doctrine : Te cannot hear my word, says Christ, (verse A2>') ; but their cannot.... their inability, was no excuse to them in Christ's account, because all their inability, he plainly sav/, arose from their bad temper, and their want of a good disposition. And, although they had no more power to help being of such a temper than you have, yet he judged them wholly to blame, and altogether inexcusable, (jfolin viii. 2>'i — i^7....yohn XV. 22 — 25.) And now we know, that hisjudg- ?nent is according to truth. But, in order to help you to see in- to the reason of the thing, I desire you seriously and impartial- ly to consider, 1. T)ci2it sinners are free arid voluntary in their bad temper. A wicked world have discovered a very strong disposition to hate God, even from the beginning : And the Jewish nation, God's own peculiar people, of whom, if of any, we might hope for better things, were so averse to God and his ways, that they hated and murdered the messengers which he sent to reclaim them, and, at last, even murdered God's own Son. And now, whence was all this ? Why, from the exceeding bad and wick- ed temper of their hearts. They have hated me without a cause ....John XV. 25. But did any body force them to be of such a DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 105 bad temper ? Surely no ; they were heartif in it. Were they of such a bad temper against their xui I la ? Surely no; their wills. ...then- hearts were in it : Yea, they loved their bad tem- per, and loved to gratify it, and hence were mightily pleased with their false prophets, because they always prophesied in their favor, and stated and gratiftd their disposition : and they hated v/hatsocver w^s disagreeable \.o their bad temper, and tended to cross it ; and hence were they so enraged at the preaching and the persons of their pro}ihets....of Christ and his apostles ; so that they were manifestly voluntarij and hearty in •their bad temper. We have loved strangers^ and after them zve •wiLL^o....Jer. ii. 25. But as for the xuord ruhich thou hast spoken unto vs in the name of the Lord, zve will not hearken unto thee....] &Y. xliv. 16. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers., risiiig vp betimes, and sending ; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dxuelliiig- place : but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, &C....II. Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16. And so, all wicked men are as voluntary in their bad temper as they were. The temper of the mind is nothing but the ha- bitual inclination of the heart : but an involuntary incHnatio7i of the heart is a contradiction ; And the stronger any inclination is, the more full and free the heart and soul is in the thing. Hence the bad temper, or the habitual bad inclination of the de- vil is at the faithest distance from any compulsion — ^he is most perfectly free and hearty in it : And all sinful creatures being thus voluntary, free, and hearty in the bad temper of their minds ; or, in other words, the bad temper of the mind being- nothing but the habitual inclination of the heart, hence all must be to blame in a degree equal to the sti-ength of their bad incli- nation. In a word, if we were continually yorcc^ to be of such a bad temper, entirely against our roills, then we should not be to blame ; for it w^ould not be at all the temper of our hearts : but so long as our bad temper is nothing else but the habitual frame, disposition, and inclination of our own hkarts, without -any manner of compulsion, we are perfectly without excuse, 106 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND and that whether we can help being of such a temper, or no. For, 2. If a sinful creature's not beiftg able to help his being of a bad temper^ does in the least free him from blame ; then the more vile and sinful any creature grows ^ the less to blame will he be : because the more vile and sinful any creature grows, the less able is he to help his being of so bad a frame of heart ; Thus, if a man feels a bad spirit towards one of his neighbors creep- ing into his heart, perhaps if he immediately resists it, he may be able easily to overcome and suppress it ; but if he gives way to it, and suffers it to take strong hold of his heart.. ..if he cher- ishes it until it grows up into a settled enmity, and keeps it in his heart for twenty years, seeking all opportunities to gratify it by backbiting, defaming, &c. it will now, perhaps, be clean out of his power to get rid of it, and effectually root it out of his heart : It will, at least, be a veiy difficult thing. Now, the man is talked to and blamed for backbiting and defaming his neigh- bor, time after time, and is urged to love his neighbor as him- self, but he says he cannot love him : But why cannot you ? For other men love him. Why^ he appears in my eyes the most odious and hateful man in the world. Yes, but that is owing to your own bad temper : Well, but I cannot help iny temper^ and there' fore 1 am not to blame. Now, it is plain, in this case, how weak the man's plea is ; and even common sense will teach all man- kind to judge him the more vile and blame-worthy, by how much the more his grudge is settled and rooted : And yet the more settled and rooted it is, the more unable is he to get rid of it. And just so it is here : Suppose a creature loved God with all his heart, but after a while begins to feel his love abate, and an aversion to God secretly creeping into his soul ; now, per- haps, he might easily suppress and overcome it ; But if he gives way to it, until he loses all sense of God's glory, and settles into a state of enmity against him, it may be quite impossible ever to recover himself : And yet he is not the less, but the more vile, and so the more blame-worthy. If, then, we are so averse to God that we cannot love him ; and if our bad temper is so DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERTEITS. 107 strong, so settled and rooted that we cannot get rid of it, this is so far from being matter of excuse for us, that it renders us so much the more vile, guilty, and hell-deserving ; for to suppose that our inability, in this case, extenuates our fault... .our inabili- ty which increases in proportion to our badness, is to suppose that the worse any sinner grows, the less to blame he is ;— than which, nothing can be more absurd. Ob J. But Ixuas brought into this state by Adam^sfall* Ans. Let it be by Adam's fall, or how it vviU, yet if you arc an enemy to the infinitely glorious God, your ^laker, and that voluntarily, you are infinitely to blame, and without excuse ; for nothing can make it right for a creature to be a voluntary enemy to his glorious Creator, or possibly excuse such a crime : It is, in its own nature, infinitely wrong — there is nothing, there- fore, to be said — you stand guilty btfoi-c God : It is in vain to make this or anv other pleas, so long as we arc what we are, not by compulsion, but voluntarily : And it is in vain to pretend that we are not voluntary in our corruptions, when ihey are nothing else but the free, spontaneous inclinations of our own hearts. Since this is the case, every mouth xvill be stopped ^and all the -world become gvilty before God^ sooner or later. Thus we see, that, as to a natural capacity, all mankind are capable of a perfect conformity to God's law, which requires us only to love God with all our hearts ; and that ail our inability arises merely from the bad temper of our hearts, and our want of a good disposition ; and that, therefore, we are wholly to blame and altogether inexcusable. Our impotency, in one word, is not natural^ but moral, and, therefore, instead o{ exten- uating^ does magnify and enhance our fault. The more umjble to love God we are, the mere arc xve to blame : Even as it was with the Jews. ...the greater contrariety there was in their hearts, to their prophets.. ..to Christ and his apostles, the more vile and blame-worLhy were they.* And in this light do the scriptures • Ob J. But, says a secure sinner, surely there /* r.n contra/ iety in my heart to God, I never bated God in mv life ; / ijAoiTV* i'fi^td him . Ans. The Svibes and Pharisees verily tliought that they lov.d God, and that, if they had lived in ihe dajs of their fathcri, thcj would not have put 108 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND constantly view the case. There is not one tittle in the Old Testament or in the New....inthelaworinthe gospel, that gives the least intimation of any deficiency in our naturfil faculties. — The law requires no more than all our hearts, and never blames us for not having larger natural capacities. The gospel aims to recover us to love God only with all our hearts, but makes no provision for our having any new natural capacity ; — as to our natural capacities, all is well : It is in our temper, in the frame and disposition of our hearts, that the seat of all our sin- fulness lies. Ezek. xii. 2 So7i ofmah^ thou dwellest in the ■midst of a rebellious hoJise^ which have eyes to see, and see not..., they have ea7's to hear, and hear not, for they area rebellious house. This is the bottom of the business : We have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and his glory shines all around us, in the heavens and in the earth... .in his word and in his ways ; and his name is proclaimed in our ears ; and there is nothing hinders our seeing and hearing, but that we are rebellious creatures. — Our contrariety to God makes us blind to the beauty of the di- vine nature, and deaf to all his commands, counsels, calls, and invitations. We might know God, if we had a heart to know him ; and love God, if we had a heart to love him. It is noth- ing but our bad temper and being destitute of a right disposition that makes us spiritually blind and spiritually dead. If this h&2LYtoi stone was but away, and a heart oijlesh was but in us, all the Prophets to death. They were altogether insensible of the perfect con- trariety of their hearts to the divine nature. And whence was it ? Why, they had wrong notions of the divine Being, and they loved that false image which they had framed in their own fancies ; and so they had wrong no- tions of the Prophets which their fathers hated and murdered, and hence imagined that they should have loved ihem : But they saw a little what a temper and disposition Christ was of, and him they hated with a perfect hatred. So there are multitudes of secure sinners and self-deceived hypo- crites, who verily think they love God; nevertheless, as soon as ever they open their eyes in eternity, and see just what God is, their love will vanish, and their enmity break out and exert itself to perfection. So that the rea- son sinners see not their contrariety to the divine nature, is their not seeing what God is. ...It must be so; for a sinful nature and an holy nature are diametrically opposite. So much as there is of a sinful disposition in the heart, so much of contrariety is there to the divine nature. If, therefore, we are not sensible of this contrariety, it can be owing to nothing but our ignorance of God, or not believing him to be what he really \s,....Muiti. vii. 8,9. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 109 would be well : Wc should be able enough to see, and hear, and understand, ajid know divine things ; and should be ravished with their beauty ; and it would be most natural and easy to love God with all our hearts. Anl hence, it is most evident that tlie supreme Governor of the world has not the least ground or reason to abate his law, or to reverse the threatening ; nor have a rebellious world the least ground or reason to charge God with cruelty, and say, " It is notjicst that he should require 77iore than we can do^ and threaten to damn us for not doing ;" for, from what has been said, it is manifest that the laxv is holu^ just^and good : And that there is nothing in the way of our perfect conformity to it, but our own wickedness, in which we are free, and hearty, and vol- untary ; and for which, therefore, in strict justice, we deser\^c eternal damnation. The law is already exactly upon a level with our natural capacities, and it need not, therefore, be brought any lower : And there is no greater punishment threatened than our sin deserves ; there is, therefore, no reason the threatening should be reversed ; — as to the law, all is well, and there is no need of any alteration : And there is nothing amiss, but in our- selves. It is impudent wickedness, therefore, to fly in the face of God and of his holy law, and charge him with injustice and cruelty ; because, forsooth, we hate him so bad that we cannot find it in our hearts to love him ; and are so high-hearted and stout that we must not be blamed. No, we are too good to be blamed in the case, and ;ill the blame, therefore, must be cast upon God and his holy law ; Yea, we are come to that, in this rebellious world, that if God sends to us the news of pardon and peace through Jesus Christ, and invites us to return unto him and be reconciled, we are come to that, I say, as to take it as an high affront at the hands of the Almighty. " He pretends to " offer us mercy," (say God-hating, God-provoking sinners), "but he only mocks us ; for he offers all upon conditions which " we cannot possibly perform." This is as if they should say — " We hate him so much, and are of so high a spirit, that wc can- " not find in our hearts to return, and own the law to be just, by 110 TRUE RELIGION DELINK ATLD, AND " which we stand condemned, and look to his free mercy,through "Jesus Christ, for pardon and eternal life ; and, therefore, if he *' will offer pardon and eternal life upon no easier terms, he does *' but dissemble with us, and mock and deride us in our miserj-." And since this is the true state of the case, therefore it is no wonder that even infinite goodness, itself, has fixed upon a day when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : And then shall ungodly sinners be convinced of all their hard speeches which they have ungodlily spoken against the Lord : And then shall the righteousness of all God's ways be made manifest before all the world. To conclude — God, the great Lord of all, has threatened eternal damnation against all those who do not perfectly keep the law, (Gal. iii. 10,) even although they live and die in the midst of the heathen \\or\d....Rom. i. 18, 19, 20 ; (of which more afterwards.) And at the day of judgment he will exe- cute the threatening upon all, (those only excepted, that are, by faith, interested in Christ and in the new covenant :) and his so doing will evidently be justifiable in the sight of all worlds, on this ground, viz. That they were not under a natural neces- sity of sinning, but were altogether vz/luntary in their disobe- dience. Luke xlx. 27. ...But those mine enemies which would NOT that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me. And tfiis, by the way, is the very thing which stops the mouth of an awakened, convinced, humbled sinner, and settles him down in it, that he deserves to be damned, notwithstanding all his doings, viz. that he is what he is, notby compidsion, or through a natural necessitzj, but altogether voluntarily. There is noth- ing more difficult in the whole work preparatory^ to conversion, than to make the sinner see, and feel, and own, that it is just.... ^uite just. ...altogether just and fair for God to damn him. He pleads, that he is sorry for all his sins, and is xvilling to forsake them all forever, and is resolved ahvays to do as well as he can. DISTINGUISHED TROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. Ill He pleads, that he cantiot help his heart's being so bad... .that he did not bring himself into that condition^ but that he was brought into it by the fall of Adam., xvhich he could not possibly prevent^ and which he had no hand in. But when he comes, in a clear and realizing manner, to see and feel the whole truth, viz. that he does not care for God, nor desiie to, but is really an enemy to him in his very hearty and voluntarily so, and that all his fair pretences and promises, prayers and tears, are but mere hypoc- risy, arising only from self-love, and guilty fears, and mercena- ry hopes, NOW the business is done : For, says he. It ?natters not how I came into this condition^ nor xvhether I can help having so bad a heart, since lam voluntarily ^'?i*f such a one as Jam^ and really love and choose to be what I am. Rom. vii. 8, 9.... Si7i revived <jnd J died. He feels himself without excuse, and that his mouth is stopped, and that he must be forced to own the sentence just ; for he feels that it is not owing to any cc;,v- pulsion or natural necessity, but that he is voluntarily and hearr tily such a one as he is : And noiv, and not till now, does h« feel himself to be a sinner, completely so ; for he, all along be- fore, fancied some goodness to be in hinj, and thought himself in some measure excusable : and now, and not till now, is he prepared to attribute his salvation entirely to free and sove- reign grace. All along before he had something to say for himself, like the Pharisee : But, with the /;?/W/ca;2, he now sees that he lies at mercy. ...L.uke xviii. 13. This is the very thing that makes all mankind to blame, altogether to blame, for being what they are, namely — that they are voluntarily so ; this is the reason they deserve to be damned for being so, and this, when seen and felt by the awakened sinner, eftectually sto[^ his mouth. And this, also, is the very diingthat makes believers see them- selves vjholly to blame for not being perfectly holy, and lays a foundation for their ynourning for their want of a perfect con- formity to the law. They feel their defects are not the result of a naiurcd necessity, but only of the remains of their old aver- sion to God, which, so far asdiev aic unsanctiticd, they are Q ' 112 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND voluntary in.* And hence they cry out, I am carnal^ sold un- der sin^O xvretcked man that lam /...Rom. vii. 14, 24; and set themselves down for beasts andyoo/s.... Psalm Ixxiii. 22. And finally, this want of a good temper.... this voluntary and stubborn aversion to God, and love to themselves, the world and sin, is all that renders the immediate influences of the ho- ly spirit so absolutely necessary, or indeed at all needful, to recover and bring them to love God with all their hearts. A bare representation of v.hat God is, were men of a right temper, would ravish their hearts ; for his beauty and giorj^are infinite. It is nothing, therefore, but their badness that makes it needful that there should be Ihit upon line^ and precept upon precept. It is their aversion, to God, that makes any persuasions at all needful ; for, v/ere they of a right temper, they would love God with all their heiLrts^ of their own accord. And surely, were not • Obj. " But does not St. Paul say, in Rom. vii. 18, To will is present witk " tne ; but hcfiu to perfonn that v:bich is good, I find not ?" Ans. 'Tis true, he had a strong disposition to be perfectly holy, but his disposition was not perfect. He had a strong disposition to Icve God su- premely, live to him entirely, and delight in him wholly, but his whole heart v.~aE not perfectly disposed to do so. Therfwasa spirit of aversion to God, and love to sin, remaining in him. In 'me, that is, in myjlcsh, diuells no good /A/;2^....and this was the ground and cause of all his impotency : So that ■when he says. To naill is present ixitk int, but hcnu to perform that ix-hich is good, I find not, he means, " To be in a measure disposed to love God su- " prejTiel) , live to him entirely, and delight in him wholly, is natural and " easy ; but how to get my whole heart into the disposition, I find not — it *' is beyond me, through the remains of the flesh, i. e. of my native contra- " riety to God, and love to sin :" ^Vhich remaining contrariety to God, and propensity tr sin, so far as he wasunsanctified, he was tolimtary in ; but so far as he was sanctified, he perfectly hated. With -my onind, I myself servethe Ici'Cd of God, but 'xith myfiesh the laiu (fsin....\er. 25. And so the spirit lusted against the flesh, and the fiesh against the spirit ; and these two were contrary the one to the other, and hence he could not do the things that he •uiould. . . G al . v . 17. Obj. '4 But does not St. Paul speak several times, in Rom. vii. as if he " was not properly to blame for his remaining corruptions, when he says. It •' is not I, but sin that a-zueileth in oyie ■'" Ans. He only means, by that phrase, to let us know that his remaining COiTuption was not the governing principle in him : according to what he had said in Horn. vL 14. ...Sin shall not have the dominion over you , for ye are )iot under the laii;, bttt under grace : but does not at all design to insinuate, that he did not see himself to blame, yea wholly to blame, for his remaining corruption. ...For though he says sometimes, It is not I, but sin that d-uelleth in 7ne, yet, at other times, I am carnal, sold under sin... vtr. 14. Oiiretched 'man that I a«i....vcr. 24 — like a broken-hearted penitent. But he could not have mourned for his remaining corruption as being siiful, if he had not felt himself to blame for it. DISTIWOITISHED TROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 113 men very bad indeed, there would be no occasion for his am- bassadors with such eartiestness to beseech them : We pray you\ says the apostle, in Christ's steady be ye reconciled to God... .11. Cor. V, 20. But now, that all external means that can possibly be used. ...all arguments, and motives, and entreaties, urged in the most forccable manner^ should not be able to recover men to God, no not one^ in all the world, without the immediate in- fluences of the holy spirit, can surely be attributed to nothing short of this, that an apostate world are, in very deed, at enmi- t\' against God, and their contrariety to \\\n\ is mightily settled and rooted in their hearts — mightily settled and rooted indeedy tliat Paid was nothing, and Apollos nothing, and all their most vigorous efforts nothing ; so that without the immediate influen- ces of the holy spirit, not one, by them, although the best ])reach- ers, of mere men, that ever lived, could be persuaded to turn to God.. ..I. Cor. iii. 7 ; but that the world should, in fact, rise in arms, and put the messengers of heaven to death, seems to argue emnity and malice, to the highest degree.. It is men's badness that keeps them from taking in right apprehensions of God, and that makes them blind to the beauty of the divine na- ture, and that makes them hate God, instead of loving him : but for this^ they would love God of their oxun accord^ without anymore ado. If God were yonr father ^ (^says Christ) tje would iove me ; tje are ofyourfuther the devil., therefore ye hate me. Surely, then, all the world arc inexcusable, and wholly to blame, for their continuance in sin, and justly deserve eternal damna- tion at the hands of God, as was before said : Nor is it any ex- cuse to say, " God docs not give me suilicient grace to make *' mc better ;" since I might love God, with all my heart, of my" own accord, with all the ease in the world, if I were but of a right temper : Yea, such is his glory and beauty, that I could not but be ravished with it, were I such as I ought to be ; and my needing any special grace to make me love God, argues that I am an enemy to him, a vile, abominable wretch, not fit to live : And to pretend to excuse myself, and say, *• I cannot, " and God will not make mc," is just as bad as if a rcbdlious 114 TRUE RELIGION DELIKEATEB, AND child should go to his father, and say, " I hate you, and cannot " love you, and God will not, by his almighty power, make me *' better, and therefore I am not to blame ;" for the wretch could not but love his good father, were it not that he is so exceed* ingly vitiated in his temper. If our impotency consisted in and resulted from our want of natural capacities... .if it was the business of the holy spirit to give us new natural faculties, then we might plead our inability, and plead God's not giving us suf- ficient power, in excuse for ourselves : But since all our impo- tency takes its rise entirely from another quarter, and all our need of the influences of the holy spirit to bring us to love God results from our badness, therefore are we without excuse, al- though God leaves us entirely to ourselves : And indeed no- thing can be more absurd than to suppose the Governor of the world obliged to make his creatures love him, in spite of all their aversion ; or more wicked than to lay the blame oftheir not lov- ing him, upon him^ in case he does not...,yer. vii. 8. 9, 10 — 16*^ Qbj. But if it be granted that meiUs natural powers are ade- quale with the law of God, and so they, as to their 7iatural capa- cities, are capable of a perfect conformity to the laxv ; and if it be granted that the outzvard advantages, which all have who live un- der the gospel, are su^icient, were men but of a right temper, to lead them to the true knowledge of God, and so, that all such are without excuse ; yet, if any part of mankind do not enjoy suffi- cient outward advantages for the true knowledge of God, without which it is impossible they should either love or se7-ve him, how can such justly and fairly be acccounted altogether to blame, and zvhol- ly inexcusable ? If the heathen, who have no other outward ad- vantages xvheveby to gaiyi the true knowledge of God, than the works of creation and providence, do but honestly improve what they Iiave, shall not they be accepted, although they full short of sinless perfection ? Or is it right and fair that they should be damned P Ans. I suppose that those advantages, which all mankind do actually enjoy, would be sufficient to lead them to a true knowledge of God, and so to love and serve him, were they of DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 115 a right disposition, and were it not for the prejudices that blind and darken their minds, which arise from their enmity to God, and love to themseh es, tlic world, and s\n....Ro7n. i. 20, 28 : And I suppose that God, the wise and holy, just and good Governor of the woild, is under no natural obligation to use any supernatural means for the removal of those prejudices ; (^Rorn. ix. 15.) especially considering that men love them, and are obstinate in them, and will not let them be removed if they can help it, as is, in fact, the case....A'o;;?. i. 18, 28 — yohnVu. 19: And I suppose that, since the law is holy, just and good, no- thing short of sinless perfection caji, or oi/^it to, pass with the supreme Law-giver and Judge of the world, as a condition of acceptance... .C«/. iii. 10 — Ro)fi. iii. 20: And I suppose that God was under no obligations to provide a Savior to bear the curse of the law, and answer its demands for rtntj^ since allure voluntarily at enmity against him and his \i\w-....Roiii. v. 8. Upon the whole, I suppose that all mankind might have been left in their {alien state, without a Savior, or any offers of par- don and peace, or any supernatural advantages whatsoe\ er ; and that yet their natural obligations to love God with all their hearts, would have by no means ceased; and that it would have been perfectly just and right with God, to have inflicted eternal damnation upon us, for our not doing so....Ro7n. i, 18, and iii. 19. And besides, I suppose that all the nations of the earth might have had the gospel preached to them, and, to this day, enjo) ed it, had not the world been in arms against it, and killed the messengers of peace, who were sent to carry the glad tidings of pardon and salvation round the world.... /I/t;^ xxviii. 19 : And I suppose, that still, in every age of the Cliristian church, there have been ministers of Christ, who would gladly goto tiie farthest parts of the earth, to carry the jo)ful news of a Savior, were men but villingto receive the news, and repent, und con- \'ert, and return to God : I know, there are such in this age ; from all which, I suppose that it is right, fair, and just, for God to exe- cute the threatening of his law according to his declared design ,..Rom. ii. 5, n. Thus much in general ; but, to be more particular, 116 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AKD 1. It is plain that the heathen, as well as the rest of mankind^ are under a law that forbids all sin, and requires perfect holi- ness. For the xvrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of yneii^ let them htfervsov Gentiles. ...Kom, i. 18. And since God is what he is, and they his creatures, there is the same general ground and reason tliat they should love him with all their hearts, as that others should. And it is plain St. Paul looked upon the heathen under obliga- tions to glorify God as God^ arid be tha)ikfuL.,.lR.ovn. i. 21 ; which is the sum of what is required in the first table of the law : And none wil^pretend that the heathen are not obliged to love their neighbors as themselves, and do as they would be done by ; which is the sum of what the second table requires : So that it is a plain case, that they are, by the law of nature, obliged to the same perfect holiness which is required, in God's written word^ of the rest of mankind. 2. It is plain, St. Paul looked upon them as enjoying suffi- cient means of knowledge, and so to be without excuse. J^om» i. 18. ...For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness ofmen^ who hold the truth in unrighteousness. " Who hold the truth in unrighteousness, i. e. " who, instead of heartily receiving, and loving, and conforming "to the truth, do, from love to their lusts, hate, and wickedly " suppress, all right notions of God.... of truth and dutv,^stifiing *' their consciences," But how do the Gentiles discover this aversion to the truth, who are under no advantages to know it ? ** I answer," says the apostle, " their advantages are sufficient ; ^'^ (or (verse 19.^ That which jnay be known of God is manifest *^ in them ; i. e. the perfections of God, which is all that is "knowable of God, are discovered to them ;" as he adds, '■'■For " God hath shelved it unto themP But were not the perfections of God discovered to them so darkly as not to be sufficiently evident and perceivable ? " No," says he ; " for (verse 20.) " The ijivisible things ofhim^from the creation of the world, are " CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made^ *'■ even his eternal poxver and Godliead ; so that they are without DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 117 " excuse ; i. e. ever since the creation of the world, the per- *'fections of God are clearly to I)e seen in his works, thethin^ " which he has m;ide manifesting plainly what a God he is : so *•• that those who see not his perfections, and are not sensible of *'his infinite glory, cannot plead their want of sufficient outward *' advantages, in excuse for their ignorance and insensibility ; and *' therefore the heathen, who have this ad\'antage, are without *' excuse." * And, still farther to clear up the point, the apos- tle seems to go on, as it were, to say — " Yea, it is evident that "the present ignorance of the Gentile nations is affected, and so "inexcusable, not only from the sufficiency of their present out- " wai'd advantages, but also from ihc'ir fonner misimprovement *'of the advantages which they heretofore did enjoy. Because " (ver. 21.) rv/um they knew Go J, i. e. when the heathen nations '■'•formerly had right notions of God instilled into them, being " instructed in the knowledge of the true God, by Noah and his "sons, from whom they descended, yet then they glorified him *'■ not as God^ neither were thaiikful ; their instructions had no " influence upon them to make them holy : but they bccaine ^'■vain in their imaginations^andtheirfooliah heart xvas darkened; " i. e. they soon fell olf to idolatry, and lost that knowledge of " the true God, in which they had been instructed and cduca- " ted : For (ver. 28) the^ did not like to retain God in their *''• knoxvlcdge ; i. c. to remember those instructions which had • If it should be objected, that St. Paul only means that their advantares WQTC so great as to render thcni inexcusable in i!ieir^-;oi'.t idolatry Tiwdbt^h- banded "wickedness, because they did, or mijjhtliavc known belter than to do 80, it may be easily aiu'iuocd, from tlie liith tt/..r, that he means to j/rove that they were altogether inexcusable, not onlv in their ^^ am.; sins, but also iiirt/Ztiieir ungodliness and u/iri^'Jjitousness, i.e. plainly, in fi// their \\ ant of a jjcrfcct conformity to the miral law, or law of nature ; for the least de- gree of non-conformity, in heart or life, to the Hrst table of the law, is a de- gree of migodliiiesx, and the very least degree of non-conformity to the se- cond tabic of the law, is a degree of uiiriii(hteuusKCss : And St. Paul is e.v- prcss in it that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ai-l un- ^'I'dliness, &c. : And, in verse 21, he is full in it that th.e hea-.hcn are wholly inexcusable for not glorifying God as C<ni, which is ni-Auifeslly all Miat the law ever required ; so that it is jjlain he does not design merely to prove iliat they were itiexcusable in their idolr.tr,', and the gras %jickcd7.ess cf their lives, but also that they were inexcusable in, and whilly to blame fvr tleir not being f}crfectly buly ; for they did, or might have known, that God deser- ved tj be {ij<i-ed uit/j all their heart, and their neigbboi- us themsehts. 118 TRUE RELIGION DIILIN'EATED, AND "been given them concerning the nature and perfections of " God:* But they abandoned themselves to idolatry ; (ver. 23, "25.) For which canse^ (ver. 24-, 26) — for which contempt cast '' on God, God gave them up to all manner of wickedness ; sd " that the present extreme Ignorance, blindness, and wicked- *'ness of the Gentile nations, they have, through their aversiori *' to God and love to sin, brought themselves into : so that it ii *' manifest they do not desire the knov/ledge of God, but evi- " dently hate all right notions of him, and so are, beyond dia- " pute, xvithout excuse ; which was the point to be proved."— Thus he proves that they are witliout excuse, because their present advantages for the knowledge of God are sufficient — which advantages, ever since the creation of the world, have been common to all ; and because ihey had once superadded advantages from parental instructions, which, instead of well improving, and of carefully handing down from generation to generation, they hated to remember, and, so, soon forgot. And \kit%^ passages ought to be of more weight to decide the case, because they are not merely occasional strokes, but the apostle is evidently upon the very same point that I am : For, from the 18th verse oi\S\\°> first chapter^ to the 19th verse of the thirds he is industriously laboring to prove, tliat both Javi and Gentiles arc all under sm^ and so tkc xvhole world ginltij before God : And his arguments are not fetched from Adara^s first shi^ but from comparing them with the law of God, whereby he discovers tlieir weaknesses ; all the blame v»hereof, he entirely lavs upon them : and because it might have been objected^ that * And I may add — Concerning tbe seed of the •woman....!be promised 3fef tiaJ.i, and the vjay (f^ahation through hini ; for, no doubt, Moah and lus sons had heard of this, ]jromise, and told it to their posievitv ; and it' tliey had handed it down safe, from age to age, the heathen world might, througii- out all generations, have been in a solvable state ; for this promise con- tained the suiii and substance oi'the gosjje]. Methuselah lived iwo /6:i«i/;et^ andjurty years in tlie days of Adam. Noah lived six hundred, and his sons about a hundred ycviX'i in the days of Methuselah : And Isaac \vas_yi/i'y years old before all Noah's sons were dead : so tliat this promise might easil/ have been handed along down by tradition, and doubtless woulii have been 80, had it been precious in the eyes of the children of m.en : And after- T\-ardsl farther liglit might have been obtained from Israel, God's peculiiir peopk, by the GenciU nations, had they really been desircus of it. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 119 tkehtathen world luid not suffcicnt means of knowledge ^ and so fvere not ivholly to blayne and inexcusable in their non-conformity to the lurv^ he does here designedly obviate the objection^ and prove and declare them to be xvithoiit any objection from that quarter* The apostle evidently takes it for granted, that tliey had sufficient natural powers to capacitate them for the knowU edge of God, and he proves that their outward advantages were sufficient ; and so he lays the whole blame of their ignorance, blindness, and wickedness upon themselves ; and fin;illy suras them up, with the rest of mankind, as having their m«jw//i6'67cy> ped^ and standing guilty before God. ...Chapter iii. 19. The truth of the case seems, iii a few words, to lie here j — that if Adam had never fell, the works of creation and providence had been the glass in which he himself,and all his posterity, would have beheld the glory of the Lord, from age to age j wherebj^, being naturally of a right temper., tljey would have been effec- tually influenced to love him, live to him, delight in him, and praise him forever ; or, in St. Paul's words. To glorify God as God., and be thankful. And I suppose that all mankind, still hav- ing the same natural powers, and the same outward advantages, are therefore entirely to blame for, and wholly inexcusable in, all their ignorance, blindness, and wickedness ; especially con- sidering they perfecdy lone to be what they are, and hate to be reclaimed, and stand ready to resist tlie light when offered, and shut their eyes against tlie truth, from whatever quarter it comes. The heavens., still as clearly as ever, do declare the glory of the Lordy and the frmameni sheivcth his handy work ; day unto day utter eth speech, and night unto ?iight shervcthkiioxvlcdge...Vs^\n\ xix. 1. The natural perfections of God are clearly (o be seen in all his works at the first glance, and his moral perfections would be equally evident to an intelligent creature of a right temper at the second thought : And then his glory would immediately shine brighter than the sun, and every heart be ravished with his infinite beauty : But such is our alienation from the Deity in this apostate world, and such the vitiated temper of our minds, that while angels see the divine glory in all his works, (/?fr. R 120 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND iv. 11.) men, sottish, brutish men, though they have eyes to see, see not ; but are" blind to the manifestations which God makes of himself, because they do 7iot like to have God in their knoxvledge. And nov/, 3. As to the heathens being accepted for honestly impro'oing their powers and advantages, it-'is, inthe frst place^mosl certain, from St. Paul's account, that they were at the very greatest dis- tance from doing so. But, secondly, if they had done so, yea, ii they had discovered so good a temper of mind as perfectly to have conformed to the divine law, yet it is the very scope of all the apostle's reasoning, in the three first chapters of his epistle to the Romans, to prove that by the deeds of the laxv no flesh, neith- er fetv nor Gentile, can be justified : And since die law is holy, just, and good, it is not, indeed, reasonable that any thing short of sinless pcrit.ction, from first to last, should pass with the right- eous Governor of the world as a condition of acceptance. Fu- ture obedience, let it be ever so perfect, can do nothing to make amends for former neglects — as has been already proved in another place : But that which, of itself alone, is entirely sufficient to say in this matter, is, that it is expressly declared in Ro>}7. i. 18. ...The wrath of God is repealed from heaven against all un- godliness (or every breach of the first table), and unrighteousness (or every breach jcf the second table of the law), of men who hold the truth in unrighteikusjiess : which words are evidently Resigned, by the apostle, to represent the character and state of the heathen world ; for he -spends the rest of the chapter in en- larging upon, this head, shewing how the heathen held the truth ia unrighteousness, and were exposed to the wrath of God for their ungodliness and wirighteovsness ; and he concludes them, all under sin, and guilty, and lost forever, unless they obtain jus- tification ^j/^/^«Y/i in Christ^,.. (See Chapter iiij. 9,19,2.0,30 ver^ ses.^ And thus wc see how all mankind have not only suffi» cient natural powers, but also sui£cient outward advantages to know God and perfectly conform to his law, even the heathea themselves ; and that the very reason they do not, is their want of such a temper as they ought to have, and their voluntary, root- DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFLITS. 121 ed enmity to God, and love to sin,* And now that they are wholly to blame and entirely inexcusable, appears still in a clearer light. But before I leave this point, I must make this remark, viz. That if God looks upon the advantages of the heathen sufficient, no Avonder that he so often speaks of the advantages of his own professing people as being much more than barely sufficient, even althouj^h they enjoy only the outward means of grace, with- out the inward influences of the holy spirit : for, if the natural advantages of the heathen are sufficient, surelv the supernatu- ral ndvixnta^es of those who enjoy a divine revelation, are much more than sufficient : And if the advantages of those who en- joy only IX divine revelation are much more than sufficient, no wonder then that those who lived in the days of Moses, Isaiah, and Christ, are represented as very monsters of wickedness, for • Ob J. But it ii impossible they should love God with all t^'ir hearts, if r hey have no hopts of finding favor in his si^bt ; for he that con\eth to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarber of them that diligently seek \\i\\\....Hcbrev:s xi. 6. Ans. Coming to God, in Heb. xi. 6, evidently implies not only a confor- mity to the law, but also a compliance with the gosj)el ; i. e. it implies not Only a disposition to love God with all our hearts, but also a trusiin,;^ inhiiu for the divine favor and eternal life upon gospel-encouragements ; whick gospel-encouragements must, therefore , be undcrstootl and believed, or it will, indeed, be impossitde so to trust in him. But I did not say that the heathen were under sufficient outward advantages for an evangelical return- ing to God, which is what is intended in Heb. xi. 6. but only for a com- pliance with the law of nature, which is what is intended in Rovi. i. 20,21. Ob J. But still is it not, in the iw.tnre of things, impossible they should love Cod, if they have no hopes <f finding favor in his sight ^ Ans. Let common senr,e decide the case : — A servant hates his master (a very good man) without cause, murders his only son, steals a thousar.d pounds of his money, runs av.-ay into a far country, spends several years in riotous living ; at length he is caught, brought home to his master, who is a man in authority ; before hijii he has his trial, is conden\ned, and nas no hope of favor. But how does this render it impossible, in the nature rf things, that he should love his master ? AVhy cannot he love his master now, as well as ever he could ? He lias the same original grounds of love be used to have i He used to love his master — his master is as worthy of his esteem as ever : He has no cause to esteem his master any the less, because he himself has been such a villain, or because he is doomed to die for his crimes ; — a punjshinent justly due. To dislike his master for these things would be ])eri'cctly unreasonable : Surely, were he but of a right temp>er, he coidd not but take all the blame to himself, and justify his master, and esteem and love him, and be heartily sorry for all his villanies : He can be under no inability, but what must arise from a bad heart. — The applica- tion is easy. 122 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, ANd remaining blind, senseless, impenitent, and unholj-, since they cnjo\ed such great^ and so 7nany superadded advantages : No \vonder> therefore, that Moses every where represents the chil- d<-enof Israel as such a stubborn, perverse, stiff-necked, rebel- lious people, (particularly see Deut. ix.) and makes as if their blindness, seriselessness, and impenitency were most unaccount- able and inexcusable, since their eyes had seen, and their ears had heard such things, and their advantages had been so great. Deut. xxix.i 2, 3, 4:..., And Moses called unto all Israel^ and said unto theiUy 7~e have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the landof Egypt^ unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants^ and vnto all his land ; (and that he might set forth the gi-eatness of the things which they had seen, he adds). The great temptations •which thine eyes have seen.*, the signs, and those great miracles^ (all which have been enough to melt the heart of a stone, and) yet (as he goes on to sav), the Lord (by all these things which have been so much more than enough), hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day : All these means ha\e not to this day attained the end, and made ) ou see, and feel, and know what a God the Lord is, and bring you to love him, and fear him, and walk in all his ways. Mo- ses evidently speaks of it as a very strange thing that they should be blind, senseless, impenitent, and unholy, after such means and advantages — as ii they were most inexcusable, yea, under a I'ery aggravated guilt ; whereby he plainly takes it for granted, that their advantages had been much wore than sufficient, had it not been for their want of a right temper, and their wicked ob- stinacy and perverseness : And yet he mentions none but out' VJCird means and outxvard advantages, and docs not give the least intimation that they had had any ///ry^z/vf assistance from the ho- \y spirit : he does not bring any such thing into the account, but ivholiy aggravates their sin and their great inexcusableness, from the consideration of their outxvard helps : — Te have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, &c. And no wonder he thought them so very insxcusable, since God looks upon the heathen world without excuse, in diat while the DISTINGUISHED fROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 123 heavens declare the glory of the Lord^ &c. they do not see with their eyes, and perceive with their hearts, and, from a sense of his glory, only thus discovered, love him, and live to him ; for, if their advantages are enough, surely the advantages of the Is- raelites were much, very inuch^ more than enough. And, upon the same hypothesis, it is no v/onder that God looked upon the case of the children of Israel as he did, in i\\t time of Isaiah ; who, from the da} s of Moses even to that day, had, from age to age, enjoyed such outward advantages as they had, and had had such outward means used with them ; and, in that age, enjoyed so great an outward privilege as the daily prophesying and preaching of Isaiah, Ilosca, Amos, and Mi- cah; who, some, if not all, of them prophesied, it is very prob- tihle, forty or fifty years together at the same time, as we may learn from the first verse in their several books, which tell us when and how long they prophesied, compared with the account we have of those kings' reigns, in the books of the Kings^ in whose reigns they prophesiecl ; — no wonder, I say, God speaks as he does in Isaiah v. 1 — 7....3[y beloved hatli a vineyard hi d verij fruitful hill : And he fenced it^ and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine^ and built a tower ni the midst of it^ and also made a wine-press therein: Here is rep- resented the natural powers, and outward advantages of God's people. — And he looked that it should bring forth grapes^ and it brought forth wild grapes : And now^ 0 inhabitants of Jerusa- lem^ and men of fudah^ judge ^ I P^'^y you^ betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to tny vineyard, that I liavc not done in it ? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ? Here all the blame is entirely laid on themselves, and their conduct is con- sidered as being inexcusably, yea, unaccountably bad. — And now go to ; I will tell you what I will do to n:y vineyard — Iwill taki axoay the hedge thereof &c. Where nothing can be plainer than that the children of Israel are represented as enjoying suf- ficient advantages for fruitfulntss — yea, advantages much more than barel}- sulTicicnt ; and that their pro\ ing as they did, was 124 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND unspeakably vile and God-provoking, and for which they de- sei-ved utter ruin ; and for which, indeed, God did afterwards, according to his declared design, bring utter ruin upon them : But all those advantages were outward ; nor is the inward aS' sistance of the holy spirit any where brought into tlie account, whenever the greatness of their advantages is set forth, on pur- pose to show how aggravated their wickedness was : but this is constantly the charge, as in II. Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16, 17,... And the Lord God of their fathers sent imto them by his messengers^ rising up betimes and sending ; but they mocked the messengers of God., and despised his words, and misused his prophets^ until the wrath of God arose against his people, till there xvas no rem- edy : Therefore, he brought upon them the King of the Chaldces ; not because they did not improve the inward assistances of the holy spirit, but because they did not improve their outward ad- vantages....c?/if not hearken to God^s messengers : And in this strain their confessions ran, when God, by his grace, had brought them to see what they had done ; — as in Dan. ix. 5, 6, h.c....We have sinned, and committed iniquity, and have done zvickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from tliy precepts, andfrotn thy judgmejits : Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants, THE PROPHETS, wliich Spake ill thy name. The not hearkening to them is mentioned as the great aggravation ; but their not im- proving the inward assistance qi the spirit is not brought into the account.... See A^eh. ix. 30. It is evident that the children of Israel, considered as a na- tion, had not special grace, or the renewing, sanctifying influen- ces of the holy spirit, as one of their advantages, from Jer. xxxi. 31, 2>2,^^.... Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that Izvill make a nexv covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of fudah, not according to the covenant Imade with their fathers, in the day I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt ; Czvhichmy [national] covenant they brake, although J was as an husband unto them, saith the Lord ;) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel : After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laxv in their inward DISTINGUISHED PROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 125 parts^ and write it in their hearts^ andxvill be their God^ and theij shall he mij people ," — where the renewing, sanctifying in- fluences of the holy spirit are mentioned as a peculiar privilege the yewish people were not entitled unto as a nation^ by that national covenant which God entered into with them, as such, at Mount Sinai, {Exod. xix. — Dnit. v.) and which after>vards, at the end of forty years, was renewed at the borders of Canaan ....£)«/<. xxix : Nor indeed were there any inward influences of the holy spirit, at all, promised in that national covenant, as a common privilege, to be by them in common enjoyed : And if they were not entitled to this privilege, as a nation, by their national covenant, then there is no evidence that they, as a na- tion, did enjoy it ; and, therefore, when God speaks as if he had done all for that nation that could be done, he plainly ha« respect only to outivard means^ which were all that they, as a nation, enjoyed : And, as to them, he evidently had good ground so to say ; since he had done such great things for them, and sent such prophets among them, and been continually taking all pains, from agii to age, to make them a holy people : even as we are ready to say concerning the people of a particular parish, where there is a learned, godly, plain, searching, power* ful, enlightening, faithful minister, such as Mr. Shepard was in his day, JVhat morecoidd be done for siich a people, that ix not a'o7ie ? And, therefore, when Stephen charged the Jews, that they ahvays resisted the Holy Ghost, as their fathers had donr^ (in Acts vii. 51,) he means, that they hvA always resisted the Holy Ghost, as speaking in and by their prophets, as now they did the same spirit that spake in and by him — ^as is plain froia verse 52, and as is also evident from Neh. ix. 30. And besides, there is not the least intimation, that those Jews, to whom Ste- phen spoke, were under any of the inward influences of the holv spirit, but they seem rather to act like creatures whoUv left of God. And this hint may help us to und( rstand that phrase in Neh. ix. 20. compared widi Num. xi. IT ; So that, from the whole, it is evident, that the children of Israel, as a nation, were, in Isaiah's time, looked upon as enjoying advun' 126 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND tages much more than sufficient for their being a holy and fruit- ful people, had they been of a right temper and not so wickedly obstinate and per\erse in their bad disposition ; and yet their advantages were only outward^ and the inward influences of the holy spirit are not taken into the account. And well might their advantages be thus esteemed, upon the forementioned hypothesis : Yea, if all mankind are able, in res^ pect to their natural capacities, to yield perfect obedience, and' if the advantages of the very heathen were sufficient, had it not been for the want of a right temper in them, and for their very bad disposition, it is no wonder that God speaks here concern- ing his peculiar people, whose outward advantages were exceed- ingly great, as if he had had very raised expectations of their being a holy people : — Whej-efore^ xvhen I looked it shoidd bring forth grapes^ brought it forth wild grapes ? q. d. *' I have done ** all, as to outward means, that could be done, to make you a " holy people — enough, and more than enough ; and I looked *' and expected that you should have been so : and whence is it *' that you are not ? How unaccountable is it ? And how great *^ is your wickedness ! And how great your guilt !" For it is God's way, in the holy scriptures, to speak to men after the man- ner of men, who are wont to have their expectations of fruitful- ness raised, when they sow or plant in a fertile soil, well manu- red and cultivated.. ..(See 3Iat. xxi. 33 — 41.) Just so a master is wont to speak to his servant, who is strong, and able for bu- siness— " I looked that you should have done such a piece of *' work, wherefore is it not done ? You had time enough, and " strength enough ;" and that although he knew, in all reason, beforehand, that his servant would not do it, because of his lazy, unfaithful temper — the design of such speeches being to repre- sent the great unreasonableness and inexcusableness of such a conduct. And finally, upon the same hypothesis, it is no wonder that Jesus Christ represents the people of Chorazin, and Bethsaida, and Capernaum, as enjoying advantages sufficient to have brought even Tyre, and Sidon, and Sodom to repentance, which, BISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 12/ in scripture account, are some of the most wicked cities in the- worlcl ; and so, coDse(jueatly,i3iore than bar,ely sufRcient to have brought tlieai to repentance, who were, by profession, the people of God ; for they hud enjoyed the ministry of Chriot hmiseif, and seen very many of his mighty works., ..jl/ut. xi. 20i — 24. It the advantages of the heathen world are suificient, v/ell jxiij^ht Christ, speaking after the manner of men, seem to be so confi- dent that Tyre, and Sidon, and Sodom would have repented, if they had seen his mighty works ; and well might he speak as if the people of Chorazin, &cc. had enjoyed advantages more than barel)- sufficient, and lay all the blame of their impenitency upon them— ^yea, and look upon them as uode^ an aggravated guilt, and give them so heavy a doom : And yet nothing can be plainer than that the advantages wJ^ichthey enjojed were on- ly outrvard^ for no other are brought into the account, as aggra- vations of their guilt : — Woe unto thcc^Jor if the ?)ijghttj ivorks which xverc done in yc?/, &.c. He does not, in the least, inumate as if.theyjiad any inward help from the holy spirit, but only says he has done viighty Twor>ts among them ; yea, in vhe 25 111 verse, he plainly declares that they were left destitute oi special grace. And thus, while, with St. Paul, we look upon the advantages even of the heathen woi Id as sufficient }.o lead them to the true knowledge of God, and a perfect .conformity to his lav/, btit for their want of a good temper, mid their voluntary aNersion to God and love to sin, we easily see whence it is that the external ^d-^ i antages of those who enjoy the benefit of a di\ine rej^ehttion, together with other outward means of grace, are represented a$ being much more than barely bufficient — and coni,equcntlv their guilt, in remaining impenitent and ujiholy, as beinc; doubly ag- gravated. And before I leave this p/jiot, I roust make one remark more, ■amely, that if the advantages of the heathei world were sui?i- ejent, but for their want of a good temper, their voluntary aver* sion to God and love to sin, to lead them to the true knowledge of Gdd, and a perfect conformity to his law, as has been proved, then God was not under anv natural obligaiionn to grant to an)' S 128 TR¥E RELIGION DELIXEATED, AND of mankind any supernatural advantages^ but still might justly have required sinless perfection of all, and threatened eternal damnation for the least defect ; — I say, God was under no nat' ural obligations^ i. e. any obligations arising from his nature and perfections : for he might, consi^stcnt with his holiness, justice, and goodness, ha\ e left all mankind to themselves, without any supernatural advantages, since tlieir natural advantages were sufficient, and they were obstinate in their ignorance, blind- ness, and wickedness. Most certainly God was not bound to have sent his Son. ...his spirit. ...his word,... his messengers, and entreat and beseech those who perfcctlj- hated him, and hated to hear from him, and were disposed to crucify his Son — resist his spirit — ^pervert his word, and kill his messengers, to turn and love him, and serve him ; but might, even consistent with infinite goodness itself, have let them take their course, and go on in the way they were set in, and have damned them all at last. All that the great and glorious Governor of the world requires of mankind, in the law of nature, is, that they love him with all their hearts and souls, and live as brethren together in his world ; which is infinitely reasonable in itself, and which they have suf- ficient natural powers to do. And he has stretched abroad the heavens as a curtain over their heads, which declare the glory of die Lord .; and intheeaith, and in all his works, his perfec- tions are clearly to be seen — so that all are under sufficient ad- vantages for the knov/ledge of him ; but mankind hate God, and say unto the Almighty, Depart from iis^for xvedo not desire the knoxvledge of thy xvays : and hence they still remain ig-no- rant of God, averse to him, and in love with sin : And now, I sav, it is as evident as the sun at noon day, that God might fair- Iv have damned such creatures, without using anj' more means withthem. Hislav/beingthus upon a perfect level with their nat- ural powers and natural advantages, he was not obliged, as he was the righteous and good Governor of the world, to grant them -any supernatural assistance, either outward, by an external rev- elation, or inward, b\' the internal influences of his holy spirit : and therefore it is, that the great Ruler of the world has always DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 129 acted sovereignly and arbitrarily in these matters, bestowing these supernatural favors upon whom he pleases, as bein^ obliged to none. Thus he has done as to the external revelation : Psalm cxlvii. 19, 20 He sherveth his word unto Jacob. ...hifi statutes a7id liift judgments unto Israel: He hath not dealt so with any nation^ and as for his judgments^ they have not known them. And thus he has done as to the internal influences of his spirit : Mat. xi. 25, 2(y....I thank thee^ 0 Father^ Lord of heaven and earthy because thoti hast hid these things from the ivise ami pru- dent^ and hast revealed them unto babes ; even sOj Father^ for so it seemed good in thy sight : And thus God, even t6 this day, as to both outward and inwaixl help;i, hath nwrcy on whom he will have mercy ^ atid compassion on whom he will have compaS' sion : He effeciualhj sends the gospel to one nation, and not to another ; and where the gospel is preached, he, by his spirit, awakens, convinces, humbles, converts whom he pleases, iind leaves the rest. And thus the objection, from the heathen's not having suffi- cient outward advantages, has been answered ; and, from the answer, I have takenoccasion to makethese (I hope) not unprof- itable remarks ; and may now return and repeat my former as- sertion, with still higher degrees ofassurance,t;/2. that mankind are altogether to bbme for, and entirely inexcusable in, their non-conformity to the holy law of God, and therefore justly de- serve damnation — and that even the heathen, as well as others. Thus have I endeavored to shew what is the exact measine of love and obedience that God requires of the children of men, and that all mankind have sullicicnt natural powers and outward advantages, and that all their blindnes;;, ignorance, andv/irked- ness, are voluntary, chosen, and lo\ed : And I have lieen the larger upon these things, in order to clear up the^^^.Y/ccof God and his law, and the grace of God in his g-ospel — both v/hich have been sadly misrepresented bv those who have not aright understood or well attended to these things. I'hey have said that it is not just in God to require sinless perfection of man- kind, or damn any for the want of it.: They liave said that tlio 130 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, ANB law is abated and brought down to a level with (I hardly know what, unless I call it) the vitiated, depraved temper of an apos- tate world/ who both hate God and his holy law, and want an act of toleration and indulgence to be passed in favor of their corruptions, that, at heart, they may remain dead in sin, and yet, by a round of external duties, be secured from damnation at last : And so they have, like the Pharisees of old, {.Mat. v.) destroyed the law by their abatements ; and now the law, only by \\'hich is the knowledge of sin, being thus laid aside, they are ignorantof their sinful, guilty, helpless, undone state, and so are insensible of their needof the sovereign grace of God, through Jeius Christ, to save ihem — and fancy they i^re well disposed enough to turn to God of ihcjrown accord ; And having imbi- bed such notions of religion, they easily see that the better sort of heathen have, for substance, the same religion with themselves, and therefore have equal charity for them ; — not being really sensible of their need of gospel-grace for themselves, they have full charity for the heathen, who never so much as heard of it : But what I have said is sufficient, I think, to clear the justice of God in his law, and the grace of God in the gospel, and sweep away this refuge of lies, by which so many gladly quiet their con- sciences, and wofally deceive their own souls. However, of these things we shall still have something more afterwards. Thus, we have gone through what was proposed.. ..have con- sidered what was implied in love to God, and from what motives we are to love him, and what measure of love is required : and all that has been sarid cannot possibly be summed up in fewer or plainer words than these, T/wk shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy hearty and with all thy soid....rvith all thy ynind^ and with all thy strength : This is ts^e first and great commandment ; in conformity whereunto the first and great part of religion does consist : And the second^ which is like unto it, being the foun- dation of the other half of (this part of) religioii, (now under consideration), is, Thoii shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; which is what we are, in the next place, to proceed to a consid- eration of. BISTINGUISHJED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 131 SECTION IV. OF LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR. II. Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself: In which words we have (I.) the- duty rcquh-cd — Thou slialt love, (i.) The original, natural ground and reason of it intimated — 'Thy neigh' bor ; which name^ given to our fellow-mcn, may lead us to con- sider them as being ivhdt they are'va. themselves, and as sustain- ing some kind of character and relation with regard to us. — (3.) The rule and standard by which our love to our neighbor is to be regulated — As thyself. Here, therefore, we may con- sider what is implied in love to our neighor....from what motives we arc to love him, and by what standard our love is to be reg- ulated, as to its nature and measure. First, L-et us consider ivlrfit is implied in that love to our neighbor^ which, by the law of God, is required of us : And, in general, it is pre-supposed, or implied, that we have a right tem- per of mind.. ..an upright, impartial, candid, benevolent temper, «ven to perfection, without the least tincture of any thing to the contrar)' ; for, without this, we shall not — we cannot view our neighbors in a true light, nor think of them. ...nor judge of them ....nor feel towards them, exactly as we ought. A wrong tem- per....a selfish, partial, uncandid, censorious, carping, bitter, stin- gy, proud temper, will unavoidably give a -wrong turn to all our thoughts of, and feeling towards, our neighbors ; — as is mani- fest trom the nature of the thing, and from universal experience. Solomon observes, that as a man thinketh^ so is he ; and it is as true, that as a man is^ so he thinketh ; for out of the heart — the temper and disposition of the man, proceed his thovights of, and feelings towards, both persons and things, according to our Sz' y'low... 3Iut. xii. 33, 3-1-, 35. An upright, therefore impartial, c;mdid, benevolent temper, to perfection, without the least tinc- ture of any thing to the contrary, is pre-supposed and implied, in the love required, as being, in the natiue of things, absolutely necessary thereto. We must have a right temper, and, imder the influence thereof, be perfectly in a disposition to view our 132 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND neighbors In a right light, and think andjudge of them, and be aft'ected towards them as we ought ; i. e. To love them as our- selves. Particularly, 1. There is a certain esteem and value for our fellow-men, which, upon sundrj'^ accounts, is their due, that is implied in this love. There are valuable things in mankind : some ha¥fe one thing, and some another — some have gifts, and some have grace — some have five talents, and some two, and some one — some are worthy of a gi'eater esteem, and some less, consider- ed merelv as they are in themselves : and then some are, by God, set in a higher station, and some in a lower, sustaining various characters, and standing in various relations ; as ma- gistrates and subjects, ministers and people, parents and chil- dren, masters and servants, &c. And there is a certain esteem and respect due to every one in his station. Now, with a dis- interested impartiality, and with a perfect candor, and a hearty good-will, ought we to view the various excellencies of our neighbors, and consider their various stations, chai-acters, and reladons ; and, in our hearts, we ought to give every one his due honor, and his proper place, being perfectly content, for our parts, to be and to act in our own sphere, where God has pla- ced us ; and, by our fellow-mortals, to be considered as being just what we are : and indeed, this, for substance, is the duty of every one in the whole system of intelligent creatures. As for God most high, the throne is his proper place, and all his intelligent creatures have their proper places, both with respect to God, and with respect to one another — which places they are bound to take, and to acquiesce in with all their hearts. We have an instance of this temper, to a good degree, in David : He was sensible that Saul was the Lord''s anointed^ and that it be- came him to render honor to whom honor is due, and fear to whom fear, and his heart was tender : hence David'' s heart smote him, because he had cut offSauVs skirt. ...I. Sam. xxiv. 5. This temper will naturally dispose us to feel and conduct rightiowards our superiors, inferiors, and equals ; and so lay a solid foundation forthe performance of all relative duties. The contrary to allthis DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 133 is a proud and conceited temper, attended with a disposition to despise superiors, scorn equals, and trample upon inferiors ; a temper in which men over-value themselves, their friends and partv,and under-value and despise allothers. Such do not consid- er persons and things as being what they are,and think, and judge, and be affected, and act accordingly : Nor do they consider, or regard the diifercnt stations in which men are set by God, or the characters they sustain by divine appointment. They are not go\'crncd b}- the reason of things, and the sense of what is right and fit ; but by their own coiTuptions. This was the case with Korah and his company, when they rose up against Mo- ses and Aaron, and said, T'c take too much upon you^ seeing all the congregation are lioly^ every one of thcm^ and the Lord is among f/zi772....Num. xvi. 3. Pride makes superiors scornful in their temper, and tyrannical in their government ; and pride makes inferiors envious in their temper, and ungovernable ia their lives ; and it makes ecfuals jealous, unfriend!}', conten- tious : In a word, it la)s a foundation for the neglect of all rel- ative duties, and for a general discord and confusion among mankind. 2. We ought not only to consider, esteem, and respect our fellow-men, as being what they are, and, with a perfect im- partiality, give them their due, in our very hearts, according to what they are, and to the stations they stand in, being perfect- ly content, for our own parts, with tlie place which God has al- lotted to us in the system, and to be and act in our own proper sphere, and willing to be considered by others as beingjustwhat we are ; but it is farther implied in the love required, that we be perfectly benevolent towards them ; i. e. that we consider their happincsny as to body and soul — as to time and eternity, as being what it really is, and are (according to the meas- ure of our natural capacities) thoroughly sensible of its value and worth, and are disposed to be sifected, and act accord- ingly, i. e. to be tender of it.. ..value and promote it, as being what it is — to long, and labor, and pray for it — and to rejoice in their prosperity, and be grieyed for their adversity ; and all 134 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND from a coi'dial love, and genuine good-wlU ; — the contrary t« which is a selfish spirit^ whereby we are inclined only to value, and seek,and rejoice in ourown wclfare,aiid not care for our neigh- bor's, any further than we are influenced by self-love and self- interest — which selfish spirit also lays a foundation for envy at our neighbor's prosperity, and hard-hear tedness in the time of his adversity, and inclines us to hurt his interest, to promote our own. To love our neighbor as ourselves, makes it natural to do as we would be done by ; but a selfish spirit makes it wi" natural. Malevolence^ malice, and spite, make it even natural to delight in our neighbor's misery : And hence it is, that rr- venge is so sv/eet, and backbiting and detraction so agreeable in this fallen, sinful world. 3.. I may add, that, so far as our fellow-men are'proper ob- jects oi delight and coynplacency, so far ought we to take delight and complacency in them : And hence it is that the godly maa feels such a peculiar love to -the children of God, for that image of God which he sees in them. The saints are, in his account, the excellent of the sarth^inxvhomis all his delight.... Vs?\. xvi. 3. The godly man is of Christ's temper, who said. Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in hearoen, the same is tny broth- er, and sister, and mother. ...M-Zt. xii. 50. But wicked men are of another taste ; and the things,. ..the tempers and dispositions in their neighbors, which to them appear excellent, and upon the account of which they delight in them, are odious in God's sight. huke xvi. 15. ...For tliat which is highly esteemed amongst incn, is abomination in the sight of God ; for it is the temper of wick- ed men not only to do wickedly themselves, butalso to have plea- sure in others that do so too. ,..Ro?n. i. 32.. Those who arc vain, or unclean, or intemperate, suit each other, and take de- light in one another's company j while, at the same time, they distaste and disrelish those things among mankind which are truly most worthy of our delight. In a word, we ought so to es.- teem others as to be heartily disposed to treat them with all that respect which is their due ; and to have such a tender regard for their welfure as to be perfectly disposed, in every instance. DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 135 and, in every respect, to do as we would be done by ; and to take notice of all their good properties with that entire friendliness and perfect candor, as may dispose us to take all that delight and complacency in them which is fit : In order unto all which, it is requisite that we be perfectly free from any tincture of pride, selfishness, &c. and have our hearts full of humility, benevo- lence, candor, and goodness. And now, Secondly. The motives by which zve are to be infuenced^ thus to love our neighbors as ourselves, are such as these :-^ 1. It is right and ft in itself: As the apostle, exhorting children to obey their parents in the Lord, uses this motive. For this is right.. .."Eiph. vi. 1. The reason of God's requiring of us to love our neighbors as ourselves, is because it is, in its own nature, right that we should ; and this ought, therefore, to move and influence us to do so. There is the same general reason why I should love my neighbor, as why I should love myself. Lovely things are as worthy of being loved in him a^ in me ; and, therefore, by me, ought, in all reason, to be loved as much. There is the same reason why my neighbor should be esteemed as being what he is, and according to the statioiji he stands in, as that I should. To esteem myself above my neighbor, merely because I am my self without any other reason, is unfit and wrong, at first sight : So to admire my children.,., my friends.. ..my party, as if there were none such, merely be- cause they are mine., is unreasonable and absurd. My very worst enemy ought, by me, to be considered and esteemed as being what he is, with an impartiality perfectly disinterested, as well as my very best friend. Good properties are not at all the better, merely for belonging to iiie, or to my friends ; or the worse, for belonging to my neighbor, or my enemy : But it is right I should view things as they are, and be affected towards them accordingly ; indeed, I ought to be so far from a disposi- tion to esteem myself above others, and to be prejudiced in my own favor, (since I am capable of a much more full and inti* mate acquaintance with my own sins and follies, than with the sins and follies of others), that I ought rather to be habitually 136 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND disposed to prefer others in honor above myself.. ../^owt. xii. 10. — Phil. ii. 3. And so, as to my neighbor's welfare and hap- piness, there is the same general reason why it should be dear to me, as that my own should : His welfare is worth as much, in itself, as mine ; it is as worthy, therefore, to be valued, es- teemed, sought after, and rejoiced in, as mine : It is true, my welfare is more immediately put under my care by God Al- mighty, and so it is fit it should, by me, be more especially ta- ken care of ; — not that it is of greater worth for being mine, for it is not ; but only because it is more immediately put under my care by God Almighty : The same may be said of the welfare of my family, &:c. ; but still my neighbor's welfare is, in itself, as precious and dear as mine, and he is my neighbor.,.. he is flesh and blood as well as I, and wants to be happy as well as I, and is my brother by Adam; we are all but one great family — the offspring of the same common parents ; we should, there- fore, all be affected as brethren towards one another... dove as brethren, and seek each other's welfare most tenderly and affec- tionately, as being sensible how dear and precious the welfare of each other is ; — this is perfectly right : And so we should bear one another's burthens. ...mourn with them that mourn, and re- joice with them that rejoice, as being tender-hearted, cordial friends to every body ; and this from a real sight and sense that such a temper and conduct is perfectly right and fit, in the na- ture of things : And whereas there may be several things in my laeighbor truly agreeable, it is evidently right I should delight in those good properties according to their real worth ; — it is a duty I owe to my neighbor, the possessor, and to God, the giver of those good gifts. 2, But that I should thus love my neighbor as myself, is not only, in its own nature, right, but is ?\so enjoined upon me by the lazv and authority ofGod^ the supreme Governor of the world : So that, from love to God, and from a sense of his right to me, and authority over me, I ougiit, out of obedience to him, to love my neighbor as myself, and always, and in all respects, to do as I would be done by : and not to do so, is not only to injure DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 137 my neighbor, but to rebel against God, my King and Govern- or— and so becomes an infinite evil : Hence, it is charged upon David, that, by his conduct respecting Uriah, he had despised the Lordy znA despised the commandment of the Lord ; and this is mentioned as the great evil oi\\\s^\n....\l. Sam. xii. 9, 10: For he had not merely murdered one of his fello\v-\\ orms, but ris- en up in rebellion against the most high God ; and practically said, " I care not for God, nor his authority....! love my lust, and will gratify it for all him ;" And therefore, when David was brought to true repentance, the native language of his soul, to God, was — Against thee^ thee onhj have I si/tned....Vsal. li. 4. It is rebellion^ therefore. ...it is despising the Lord.. ..it is an injinite evil^ not to love our neighbors as ourselves. 3. We have not only the authority, but also the example of 6od^ to influence us to this great duty of love and benrcoltiire. — God is love : He has an infinite propensity to do good, and that in cases where there is no motive from without to excite him ; yea, where there is every thing to the contrarj- : He loves to make his sun to rise, and his rain to fall, upon the evil and un- thankful : He loves to fill tlie hearts of all with food and glad- ness, and to strew innumerable blessings round a guilty, C:iod- hating world ; yea, out of his great goodness, he has given his only Son to die for sinners, and offers grace and glor\', and all good things, through him — being ready to pardon, and receive to favor, any poor, guilty wretch, that will repent, and return to him, through Jesus Christ : And now for us, after all this, not to love our fellow-men — ^j'ea, not to love our ver)- worst ene- mies, is very vile. Since God has so loved iis^xve oicght snvely to love one another....!. John iv. 11 : Since he has treated us, his enemies, so kindh', we ought now, as dear children^ to imitate him, and love our enemies^ and bless them that curse wv, and do good to them that hate iis^ and praij for them zvhich despitcfullij use us^ and persecute 7/.s-....Mat. v. 44,45. The infinite bcautv in the goodness of the divine nature lays us under infinite ob- ligations to imitate it, in the temper of our minds, and in our daily conduct : And it Is ingratitude.. ..it is a shame.. ..it is 138 TRUE RELIGION DtLlNEATED, AND abominable wickedness, not to love our worst enemies, and for- give the greatest injuries. Since the great Governor of the world has treated us worms and rebels as he has, one would think that, after all this, we should never be able to find a heart to hate or injure any mortal ; Surely, we are under very strong obligations to accept that divine exhortation in Eph. iv. 31, 5,2.. ..Let dibit' terness, aiid -wrath., and anger, and clamor^ and evil speaking be put azvayfrom among you., with all malice : and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted ^ forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ'' s sake, hath forgiven you : And (Chap. 5. verse 1.) ■^^ yefolloxvers of God as dear children. Besides, there are ma- ny additiotial obligations tolovQ and benevolence, and to peculiar respect and kindness between husband and wife, parents and children, friend 2in& friend, &c. arising from their mutual rela- tions, and dependancies, and from special kindnesses already received or hoped for. And now. Thirdly, As to the standard by which our love is to be reg- ulated, viz* Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. In order rightly to understand it, v/e must — 1. Place ourselves, sensibly, as in the presence of the infinitely gi'eat and glorious God, before whom all the nations of the earth are nothing and less than noth- ing, and vanltj^, and, in the light of God's greatness and glor}'', we must take a view of our own littleness and deformity, and so learn how we ought to be affected towards ourselves, compa- red with God ; and as v/e ought to love ourselves, so ought we to love our neighbor : And now, in general, we ought to be disposed towards God, as being Avhat he is, and towards our- selves and neighbors, as being what v/e and they are. Partic- ularly, God's honor in the world ought to appear infinitely more valuably and precious than our own, and therefore our own ought to seem as a thing of no worth, compared with his, and, as such, to be freely parted with when God's honoi- calls for it ; and as free should we be to see the reputation of our dearest .friends given up for God's sake. The same may be said of our worldly interest and of all our worldly comforts, when com- pared with God's interest and the interest of his Son's kingdom DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 139 in the world, and of the worldly interests and comforts of our dearest friends : All, both ours and theirs, is comparatively nothing, and ought to appear so to us ; yea, our lives and their lives are just the same things — comparatively of no worth, and to be parted with in a moment,wiihout the least reluctance, when God's honor or interest calls therefor. 2. In order to a right un- derstanding of this standard, we must also observe, that our love toourselves is hahitiial^iinfeigned^fervent^acthe^ Tindpernianent: so also must be ourlove to our neighbors. 3. A regular self-love respects all our interests, but especially our 5/>/r/7?^<7/ and eternal interest : so ought our love to our neighbors. 4. A regular self- love naturally prompts us to be concerned for our welfare ten- der ly.... to sctk \t diligently and /»;Wc;2f/t/.... to rejoice in \t hear- tily^ and to be grieved for our calamities sincerely : so ought our love to our neighbors to prompt us to feel and conduct with regard to their welfare. 5. Self-love makes us take an wn- feigned pleasure in promoting our own welfare : We do not think it hard to do so much for ourselves ; — ihe pleasure we take in promoting our welfare rervards our pains The same genuine kind of love ought we to have to our neighbor; and so to re- member the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said. It is more blessed to give than to receive. 6. We ought never to speak of our neighbor's sins, or weaknesses, or any way expose him to shame and contempt in the world, in any case whatsoever, ex- cept such wherein it would be our duty to be willing ourselves to be so exposed by him, were we in his circumstances, and he in ours : And then we are to do it with that sensible tenderness for him that we could reasonably desire from him, towards us, in a like case. Thus, then, we have briefly considered the second great com- mand of the law, and see what that meaneth — Tho7i shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. To lo\-e God with all our heart, l;ivs a foundation, and prepares the way for us to love our ncigh!->ors as ourselves. It removes and takes away those things v. hich are contrary to this lo\e ; such as pride, selfishness, worldliness, a narrow, stingy, envious, revengeful temper. True love to 140 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND God mortifies and kills these things at the root. And, second- ly— True love to God assimilates us to the divine nature, and makes us like God in the temper of our minds. But God is love : and the more we are like God, the more are our hearts, therefore, framed to love and benevolence. He that dtvelleth in love^ dwelleth in God,, and God in him. Love to God sweet- ens the soul, and enlarges our hearts to love our feilow-men. And thirdly — The more we love God, the more sacred is his authority with us, and the more glorious, amiable, and anima- ting does his example appear, and the greater sense have we of our obligations to gratitude to him ; all which tend jointly to influence us to all love and goodness towards our neighbors : So that, he that knows God, and loves him, will be full of love to mankind ; and, therefore, he that loveth not^ knoweth npt God ....I. John iv. 8. On the other hand, where there is no true love to God, there is no true love to mankind ; but the heart is under the government of pride, selfishness, and other corrup- tions,'vvhich are contrary to love : So that a genuine love to man- kind is peculiar to the godly.. ..I. John iv. 7. 8. And now, from what has been said, we may evidentlj'' see, these following sorts of love to our neighbor, are, neither of them, the love required, however nearly they may sometimes seem to resemble it. 1. What is commonly called natural compassion,, is not the love here required ; for the most wicked, profane man may be of a very compassionate temper : so may the proud, the self- ish, the envious, the malicious, and spiteful man — as experience plainly shows. And besides, natural compassion does not take its rise from aay sense of the rectitude and fitness of things, or any regard to the divine aulhoritj-, but merely fi-om the an- imal constitution : And men seem to be properly passive in it. It is much the same thing in the human, as in the brutal nature : It is, therefore, a different thing from the love here required. 2. The fiame may be said of what is called good-nature : It arises merely from animal constitution, and is net the love here required ; for such a man is not influenced in his love by the DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 141 reason and nature of things, or the authority of the great Gov- ernor of the world, or from a consideration of the infinite good- ness of the divine nature, any more than the heasts are, who are some of them much I)ettcr tempered than others : So that this sort of love has nothing of the nature of rcHgion in it : And it is evident that many wicked and ungodly men have much of this natural good-temper, who yet have no regard to God or du- ty : Yea, a secret grudge against a neighbor, reigning in the heart, may be, in the good-natured man, consistent with \\vs> good- nature^ but it is not consistent with the love here required ; and therefore they are evidently two things. 3. That love which is commonly called natural affection^ is not the kwe here required. It is true that man is worse than the beasts who is without natural affection, for they evidently are not ; but every man is not a saint, because he has natural af- fection : And it is true we owe a peculiar love, according to God's law, to our relatives ; but natural affection is not this love : for there are many ungodly wretches, who care neither for God nor his law, who have as much natural affection as any in the world ; yea, it is a common thing for ungodly parents to make very idols of their children ; — for them, they go, and run, and work, and toil, by night and day, to the utter neglect of God and their own souls : and surely this cannot i)e the very love which God requires : And besides, as natural affection naturally prompts parents to love their children more than (iod, and be more concerned for dicir welfare than for his glory, so it is com* monly a b:u- in the way of their loving others as they cKight ; — «- They have nothing to give to the poor and need}' — to die wid- ow and the fatherless ; they must lay up all for their children : yea, many times they rake and scrape, cheat and defraud, and, like mere earth-worms, bury themselves iu the world ; and all this for the sake of their children ; And yet all dvislove to theif diildren does not prompt them to take care of their souls. They never teach their children to pray, nor instnicx them to seek af- ter God : They love their bodies, but care Httle for their souls; Their love to the one is beyond all bounds, but, to tlic other, 142 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND is little or nothing : It is an irrational fondness, and not the love required. Indeed, it' parents loved their children as they ought to do, their love would efFectually influence them to take care of their souls, and do all their duty to them — which natural affec- tion evidently does not ; and therefore it is not that love with which God, in his law, requires parents to love their children : Nor, indeed, does there seem to be any more of the nature of true virtue or real religion in the natural affection of men, than there is in the natural affection of beasts — both resulting merely from animal nature and a natural self-love, without any regard to the reason and nature of things. 4. Nor is that the love here required, which arises merely from a party-spirit ; because such a one is of their pai'ty, and on their side, and loves those whom they love, and will plead, stand up, and contend for them, and maintain their cause : For such a love is preg-nant with hatred and ill-will to every body else ; and nothing will humor and gratify it more than to see the opposite party hated, reviled, and blackened : And besides, such a love is nothing but self-love in another shape. Te have heard that it hath been said^ Thou shalt love thy neighbor^ and hate thine enemy : But I say unto you, love your enemies..... Mat. V. 43, 44. 5. Nor is that the love here required, which arises merely from others'' love to me : As if a rich man is kind and bountiful to poor people all around him, and appears to love and pity them, they, though almost ever so wicked, will feel a sort of love to him : But if this rich man happens to be a civil magis- trate, and is called to sit as a judge in their case, and passes judgment against them for their crimes, now their love dies, and enmity, and hatred, and revenge begin to ferment in their hearts. In this case, it is not the man they love, but rather his kindnesses : And their seeming love, is nothing but a certain operation of self-love. And indeed, however full of love per- sons may seem to be to their neighbors, if all arises merely fro7K self-love^ or is for self-ends^ nothing is genuine : and that wheth- er things worldly, or things religious, occasion their love. A DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUMT.RPEITS. 143 poor nian \v ill love and honor those who are rich, if he hopes lo get any Uiing by it. A rich man may be kind to the poor, with nn eye to his credit. An awakened sinner will love an awakening preacher, in hopes he shall lie converted bj- his min- Lstrv. A minister may seem to show a w^orld of love to the souls of sinnei-s, and all with an eye to applause. Hypocrites will love a godlv minister, so long as he thinks well of them, and iiappens not to detect their hypocrisy in his public preach- ing. Even the Galat'unis were \try full of love to Paul for a while, so long as they thought he loved tliem, and had been the imstrumcnt of their conversion ; yet, afterwards, thev lost their love, and turned his enemies, for his telling them the truth — while others, who loved him truly for what he was, were more and more knit unto him for those very doctrines for which tlu; {jalat'unis hated him. Ify^ ^ovc them which love yov^ ivhat re' wardhavet/e? Do not the publicans the samc?....'yLnt. \\46. There is no virtue nor religion in such a kind of love, and it is cvidentiy no/ /Ac ^/(<:V7_^ required by the divine law. And in- deed it is a thing as difficult, and as contrary to coirupt nature, for us genuinely to love our neighbors as oiu'selves, as it is to love God with all our hearts ; and there is as liule true love be- tween man and man, as there is between rien and Ciod^ It is for our interest to love God, and it is for our interest to love pur neighbors, and therefore men maie as if ihcy did so, when, really, there is nothing genuine and tii;e : And, at the dav of judgment, when a wicked world comes to God's bar, and their past conduct is all brought to light, nothing will be more man- ifestthan that there never was a spark of true love to God or rnan in their hearts, but that, from first lo last, they were acted and governed either by their animal constitution, or else merely by self-love. 6. I may add, nor is that the love required, when men love others mt-rchj becati-ie thetj are as bad ^ and so just like themselves: — Nature and self-love will prompt the worst of men to do»so. The vain and profligate love such as areas bad as themselves : And, from the same principle, erroneous persons have a pecu* U 144 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND liar regard for one another : And the enthusiast and blazing hy- pocrite may, from the same principle, seem to be full of love to their own sort, though full of malice against all others : And they may think that it is the image of God which they love in their brethren, when, indeed, it is only the linage of themselves* Persons of a had taste may greatly delight in those things in oth- ers, which are very odious in the sight of God : But surely this cannot be the love required ; and yet, by this very thing, many a hypocrite thinks himself a true saint. Thus we see what it is to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbors as ourselves, and see these two distinguished from their counterfeits : And so we have gone through the two great commands of the law, in a conformity to which the very essence of religion does much consist. And now it is added by our Savior, Upon these two luing all the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets, i. e. the inspired writings of the Old Testament consider these two max- ims, that zve must love God with all our hear ts^ and oiir neighbors as ourselves^ as first and foundation-principles : and all the va- rious duties which they urge, respecting God and our fellow- men, are but so many inferences and deductions from them. God must be loved rvith all the heart : and therefore we must make him our God and none else, according to the Jirst com- maiid — worship him according to his appointed institutions, agreeably to the second co??imand — ^with becoming reverence and devotion, according to the third — and that in all such set times as he hath appointed in his word, according to the fourth. Our neighbor ?7iust be loved as ourselves : and therefore we must render honor to whom honor is due, according to the fifth command ; and be tender of our neighbor's life, chastit}\ estate, and good name, according to the sixths seventh^ eighth^ and ninth commands ; and rejoice in his welfare and prosperity, according to tlie tenth : and, in all things, treat him as we could reasonably desire him to treat us, according to that golden rule of Jesus Christ, in MaithrM vii. 12. v j DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERrEITS. 145 And as all the duties we owe to God and man, are thus, in the theory^ but so many deductions^ necessarily flowing from these two maxims^ or Jirst principles^ so, when the law of God is written in the heart of a sinner by divine grace, and put in his inward parts, there will, from these two principles, naturally flow all duties to God and his neighbor, in his daily practice ; i. e. from a disposition to love God supremely, live to him ulti- mately, and delight in him superlatively, he will naturally be inclined and enabled sincerely to do all his will — to make him his God, according to the first command — ^to worship him ac- cording to his own appointments, with becoming reverence, and at all suitable times, according to the rest. It will be his nature to do all this — his meat and his drink, and so his greatest delight. And so, also, from a genuine disposition to love his neighbor as hin^elf, he will be naturally inclined and enabled, in all things, and at all times, sincerely to do as he would be done by. It will be his nature to do so — his meat and his drink, and so hi& greatest delight....//!?^, viii. 10 — Johnyiw 14 — I. John ii, 3, 4y — Psalm xix. 10. So that, as it i& in theory^ so also it is in practice ; these two- are like the seed that virtually contains the whole plant, or like the root from which the whole tree grows, with all its branches and fruit. And in proportion as a man loves God and his neighbor with a genuine love, in the same proportion will his incHnationand ability, thence arising, be, to do all these duties : and consequently, when his lo\'e to God and his neighbor ar- rives to perfection^ he will be perfectly inclined and enabled to be perfect in holiness and righteousness, and will actually^ in oil things, perfectly conform to both tables of the law. And it is equally evident, that, until a man has a genuine love to God and his neighbor in his heart, he will have neither inclination nor ability (in a moral and spiritual sense) to perform one act of true obedience : for as all true obedience^ according to the law and prophets, is to flow from these two principles, so, consequent- ly, according to the law and pi-ophets, that is not true obedience^ vi\\\cX\docs not : ^d, therefore, v/hen all a man's religion Is 146 TRUJE RELIGION DELINEATED, ANB merely from self-love, and for self-ends, he cannot be said, strictly speaking, to do any duty to God or his neighbor, or Ghey one command ; for he ov\y serves himself y and that from a supreme love to himself, which the law and the prophets do not require, but strictly forbid^ in that they enjoin the direct contrary. So that now, in a few words, we may here see wherein true religion does consist^ as it stands distinguished from all x\\e false religion in the world. The godly man, from seeing God to be just such a one as he is, and from a real sense of his infinite glorj- and amiableness in being such, is thereby influenced to love him supremely, live to him ultimatelv, and delight in him superlatively : fi'om which inxvard frame of hearty he freely runs the way of God's commands, and is in his element when doing God's will. He eats, he drinks, he works, he prays, and does all things, with a single eye to God, who has placed him in this his world, allotted to him his peculiar station, and pointed out before him all the business of life. ...always looking to him for all things, and always giving thanks unto his name, for all his unspeakable goodness to a wretch so infinitely unworthy. And, with a spirit of disinterested impartiality, and genuine benevolence, he views his fellow-men. ...gives them their places ....takes his own, and loves them as himself : Their welfare is dear to him ; he is grieved at their miseries, and rejoices at their mercies, and delights to do all the good he can, to every one, in the place and station which God has set him in. And he finds that this new and divine temper is inwrought in his very nature ; so that, instead of a forced religion, or a religion merely by fits, his very heart is habitually bent and in- clined to such views and apprehensions — to such an inward temper, and to such an outward conduct. This, this is the religion of the Bible — the religion which the law and the prophets, and which Christ and his aposdes too, all join to teach — the religion which Christ came into the world to recover men unto, and to which the spirit of God docs actu- allv recover every believer, in a greater or lesser degree. Thus, those who are dead in sin, are quic/cemd...,^i>h. u. 1 — Hove DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL COUNTERrEITS. 147 the Icnv xvritten in their hearts. ...Hch. viii. 10 — Are made neiv ereaturcs^ all old things being done away^ and all things become nerv....ll. Cor. v. 1 7 — And are effectually taught to deny all ungodliness andxvorldly lust.s, and to live soberly, righteously^ and godly in this /^resent xvorld.*.. Tit. ii. 12 — And so serve God without fear ^ in holiness and righteousness^ all the dcn/s of their //try.... Luke i. 74, 75, Anil this is specifically dilL-rent from every sort of false re- ligion in the world : For all kinds of false religion, however dif- ferent in other things, yet all agree in this, to result merely from a principle of self-love, whereby fallen men, being ignorant of God, are inclined to love themseis es supremely, and do all things for themselves ultimately. All the idolatrous religion of the heathen world, in which some took much pains, had its rise from this principle. They had some notion of a future state — of a heaven and a hell, as well as of temporal rewards" and pun- ishments, and so were moved by hope and fear, from a princi- ple of self-love, to do something to pacify the anger of the gods, and recommend themselves to the favor of their deities : And all the superstitions of the seemingly devout papist.... his />a?er- nosters, his aue-??zr/r/o.?, \\\s penances 2ci\d pilgrimages, zxxd. end- less toils, still arise from the same principle : So does all the religion of formalists, and legal hypocrites, in the reformed na- tions : It is a slavish fear of hell, and mercenary hope of heav- en, which, from a principle of self-love, sets all a going ; yea, the evangelical hypocrite, who mightily talks of supernatural, divine light — of the spirit's operation." — of conversion, and a new nature, still, after all, has no higher principle in him than self-love. His conscience has been greatly enlightened, and his heart terrified, and his corruptions stunned : and he has, by the delusions of Satan, obtained a strong confidence of the love of Ciod, and pardon of his sins ; so that, i.i^tead of being influ- enced chiefly by the fear of hell, as the legal hv))ocrite is, he is ravished with heaven ; but still, all is from self-lo\e, and for self-ends ; and, properly and scripturally speaking, he neither knows God, nor cares at all for him. And this is the vciv case 148 TRUE RELIGION DELINEATED, AND with every graceless man living, of "whatever denomination ; whether a Heathen, or Jew, or Christian — whether Papist, or Protestant — whether Church- man, Presbyterian, Congrega- tionalist, or Separatist — whether a Pelagian, Arminian, Calvin^ ist, Antinomian, Baptist, or Quaker. And this is the case •w'wh ey try graceless mTnaXwin^^ whatever his attainments matf oiherivise be ; — though he hath all knowledge to understand all ■mysteries, and can speak with the tongues of men and angels, and has faith to remove mountains, and zeal enough to give all his goods to feed the poor, and his body to be burned; yet he has no charitij — lie is perfectly destitute of this genuine love to God and his neighbor, and has no higher principle in his heart, from which all his religion proceeds, but a supreme love to himself. For, ever since our first parents aspired to be as gods, "it has been the nature of all mankind to love themselves supreme- Iv, and to be blind to the infinite beaut}' of the divine nature ; arid it remains so to be with all, until renewed by divine grace : So that self-love is the highest principle from which unregene- rate men do ever act, or can act. Here, therefore, we have true religion. ...a religion specifi- callv different from all other sorts of religion in the world, stand- ing in a clear view : yea, and we may be absolutely certain that this is the very thing which has been described : For this conformity to the moral law is, throughout all the Bible, by Moses and the prophets.... by Christ and his apostles, repre- sented to be the ver\' thing in which the essence of religion ori- ginally consists. " Blef 3 d be the name of the Lord forever, '" who has given us so clear a revelation of his will, and so sure " and certain a guide as his word." Come here, all you poor, exercised, broken-hearted saints, that live in this dark, benight- ed world, where many run to and fro, and where there are a thousand different opinions, and every one confident that he is right ; — come here to the law and to the testimony ; — come here to Christ himself, and learn what the truth is, and be set- tled— ^be confirmed, and be established forever ; and remember, and practise upon those words of Jesus Christ, in John vii. 17 DISTINGUKHED FROM ALL COUNTERFEITS. 149 »„.Ifany man will do his rvili, he shall knoiv of the .doctrine^ •whetlier it be of God. O, read the Bible — ^live lives of prayer and communion with God ; yea, die to yourselves, the world and sin, and return home to God through Jesus Christ — and love him, and live to him, and delight in him more and more — and be more and more disinterested and impartial.. .sincere and fer/ent, in your love to your neighbors — do all the good, to ev- ery one, that you can ; in a word, be the servants of God, and grow up into his image, and your certainty of divine truths will proportionably strengthen and increase : For the more your imderstandings are free frdm that darkness and prejudice that sin has introduced, the clearer will you view divine truths, and the greater sense will you have of their inherent divine glory ; find so your belief of their divinity will be the more unshaken. Having thus g