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ed both by nature and by our religion.— S ER M. But, when I confider the conduct and character of many who have affumed it, and the complexion which it has received from their management, I think myself warranted to affert, that it is as much abused as ever was pretended zeal for the glory of God, and is as likely to be, at laft, exploded and contemned. The great advocates of philanthropy as the fole director of human action, have been a fet of pretended philofophers, who, attempting to banish religion from the world, have, for this purpose, affumed the mask of high regard for human happiness and the interefts of fociety. Purfuing, under this, the moft pernicious defigns, with immoderate ardour, they have put themselves on a level with the religious hypocrite or the religious enthufiaft. Let not fuch philofophical bigots, at least, pretend to cenfure the abuses of piety, and, under pretext of guarding against them, think themselves entitled to explode religion itself. But, benevolence, even in its pureft and moft enlarged form, can never be dif

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SER M. joined from the love of the Deity. From this root it must spring, and from this alone derive the strength and nourishment neceffary to make it produce its richest and most falutary fruit. This will appear in the fequel of this difcourfe, in which I propofe to bring home to your minds the force of the Pfalmift's exhortation, O love the Lord, all ye his saints. For this purpose, I fhall, first, afcertain the proper notion of the love of God; and, secondly, evince it to be, from its very nature, the moft noble, delightful, and beneficent principle that can influence. the human mind.

I. What are we to underftand by the love of God? This queftion is the more neceffary, that, from mistaken notions with regard to the fubject of it, have proceeded, on the one hand, all the abuses of religion already mentioned; and, on the other, the fhameful neglect of piety which we daily behold.

When we turn our thoughts to the contemplation of Deity, that awful and blessed

His

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Being is prefented to us under different $ ER M. afpects, which are adapted to excite correspondent emotions in the mind. He appears to us, firft, in the character of infinite perfection, as poffeffed of unerring wisdom, of boundless goodness, of almighty power, His prefence pervades every part of space, His omniscience comprehends all existence, through every period and change. eye darts at once through the universe, and perceives what is the right and proper condition of every part of it. His will is invariably directed to the greateft poffible good of the whole fyftem of beings fufceptible of happiness, is incapable of deviating, in any inftance, from this object or of entertaining narrow, partial, or clouded views; but is uniformly moved by one steady and univerfal principle of benevolence, to which all its particular determinations are fubordinate. His power, extending to all poffibility, and knowing no bounds but his own nature, is employed in executing the purposes of confummate wisdom and goodness, and in substantiating the fair and glorious conceptions

II.

SER M. conceptions of infinite mind. From him the universe, the whole compafs of nature, derives its exiftence, and, as at his command, it started into being, fo it is continually preserved by him, and exhibits his attributes impreffed on all its parts,—impreffed no less on the smallest particle of matter, than on its most complex and ftupendous combinations; exerted no less confpicuously in the structure of the meanest infect, than in the capacious foul of the feraph that stands before his throne!

This is the first view in which the divine nature is presented to our minds. It comprehends all that is great, admirable, and fublime, but rather expands, than affects, the foul, and feems to lose fome part of its impreffion, by extending beyond the compass of our limited faculties. For, fuch knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is bigh, we cannot attain unto it *. But, there are other respects, in which the awful and Almighty God feems to lay aside the dazzling fplendor that encircles him, and to allow us to behold his tempered Majefty graciously

*Psalm cxxxix. 6.

graciously adapted to the weakness of our SER M. fight.

At the name of the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and of earth, the Lord, the everlasting God, the creature finks proftrate in the duft, the angels themselves confefs their folly t. How much more must this sense of unworthinefs be impreffed on the minds of those who dwell in houfes of clay, whofe foundation is in the duft, who are crushed before the moth. At the name of Jehovah, proclaiming his law on the mount, that burned with fire, and was enveloped in blackness, and darkness, and tempeft, and echoed the sound of the terrible trumpet §, the prophet of God, the leader of his chofen people, himself, feared and quaked exceedingly, and they, that beard the voice, entreated that the word should not be Spoken to them any more . Nay, fuch is the debilitating effect of fin, that the guilty foul trembles at the voice of God walking in the cool of the day*.

But, the name of our heavenly Father,

the

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† Job iv. 18.

Ib. 19.

§ Heb. xii. 18.

* Gen. iii, 8.

Heb. 19. 21.