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God does not depend upon any holy principle, which is distinct from love; but upon their natural capacity to love all the proper objects of benevolence. They are as able to love God, before they are regenerated as afterwards; and therefore are as much obliged to love God, before they are born again, as after they have been made the subjects of special grace.

Some suppose that sinners are passive in having a new heart, or in becoming real saints. But if a new heart does not consist in a principle of holiness, but in the exercise of holiness or true benevolence; then the sinner may be as active in beginning to be holy, as in continuing to be holy; in turning from sin to holiness, as in perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Some suppose, that, after men are regenerated, they have two hearts, an old heart and a new one, which co-exist in their minds, and constantly produce diametrically opposite affections. The new heart, they suppose, is a new principle, which constantly produces holy affections; and the old heart is an old principle, which constantly produces unholy affections. And upon this ground, they suppose, there is a continual warfare in the minds of good men, between their old and new heart.* But if the new heart consists in that love, which the law requires, and the old heart consists in that love, which the law condemns; then saints never have properly two hearts, but only one; which is sometimes holy and sometimes sinful. This is agreeable to their daily experience. They find their heart to be like a deceitful bow. It may be one hour in a holy and heavenly frame; and the next hour in a frame entirely different. But they are never conscious of loving and of hating God, at one and the same time.

* It is not denied, that there is a spiritual warfare in the minds of true christians; but only that this warfare does not arise from two distinct opposite hearts,

Some suppose that good men are better than their free and voluntary exercises are. They imagine, that saints may have grace in principle, while they have none in exercise. But since love is the fulfilling of the law, there is no foundation for this sentiment. Saints have just as much grace as true love, and no more. They are just as good as their holy exercises are, and no better. Whenever they exercise any selfish affection, they as really transgress the divine law, and fall under the divine displeasure, as if they never had possessed one gracious affection, or benevolent feeling. Such sentiments as these, which are founded on a dormant principle of grace, which is distinct from every gracious exercise, must appear entirely groundless, if love is the fulfilling of the law, and comprizes the whole duty of man.

5. Since love answers all the demands of the law, sinners have no excuse for not obeying any one of its precepts. God has furnished them with all the natural faculties, which are necessary in order to understand and perform their whole duty. And all that he requires of them is, to exercise true love or real benevolence to the extent of those natural powers, which they already possess. It is true, he requires them to make themselves a new heart; but the new heart, which he requires them to make, consists in love. It is true, he requires them to be perfect; but the perfection, which he requires them to have, consists in love.. It is true, he requires them to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit; but all this cleansing consists in love. It is true, he requires them to repent, to believe; to submit, and to deny themselves; but all the repentance, faith, submission, and self-denial, which he requires, consists in love. In a word, there is not a single duty enjoined upon sinners, but what true

love will perform. Hence, if they have no excuse for the want of that love, which the law requires, they can have no excuse for not yielding universal obedience to the divine commands.

6. If the law requires nothing but love; then it al ways approves itself to avery awakened and enlightened conscience. While sinners indulge themselves in carnal ease and security, they are ready to think and say, that God is a hard master, reaping where he has not sown, and gathering where he had not strawed.

But when their conscience is awakened to see, that God requires no heart, no inward exercise, no external action, but what consists in or flows from love, they feel the propriety and justice of every divine precept. Paul never felt the force of the divine law, until it was set home upon his conscience. Then he found it required nothing but benevolence, and condemned nothing but selfishness. This took away every excuse, and filled his conscience with guilt and remorse. He freely confesses, "I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet-but when this commandment came, sin revived and I died." He felt himself justly condemned, for having always lived in the exercise of a selfish, instead of a` benevolent spirit. And all awakened and convinced sinners have the same view of themselves. Their consciences compel them, in spite of their hearts, to acknowledge, that the law, which condemns them for all their past selfishness, and which requires them immediately to love God supremely, upon pain of eternal destruction, is perfectly holy, just and good.

7. If love is the fulfilling of the law, then nothing without love can fulfil it. This multitudes deny both in theory and in practice. The Scribes and Pharisees

totally excluded love from the essence of obedience.

The Pharisee who went up to the temple to pray, placed all his obedience and hopes of divine acceptance in the mere externals of religion. The young man, who came to our Savior to know the way to eternal life, verily thought, that he had perfectly obeyed the law from his youth up, merely because he had never been guilty of any overt act of transgression. And Paul also while in a state of nature, and a perfect enemy to God, viewed himself, "as touching the law blameless." The same sentiment respecting the nature of true obedience still continues and prevails. Many imagine, that though they have not the love of God in them; yet by reading and praying; by attending public worship and divine ordinances; and by outward acts of justice, kindness and compassion, they can acceptably perform some part, if not the whole of their duty. But if love be the fulfilling of the law, then nothing done without love is the least obedience to the divine commands. This doctrine Christ abundantly taught in his sermon on the mount, and in the whole course of his preaching. Hear his severe and pointed reproofs to the Jewish Teachers, who separated obedience from love. "Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres,

excess.

which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." The law of love requires nothing separate from love; and, therefore, no religious professions, no religious desires, no religious performances, which are separate from love, do in the least degree fulfil the law. Hence it is the first and immediate duty of sinners to exercise that love, which the law requires. They cannot perform a single duty without the exercise of love. They can neither repent nor believe, nor do any thing acceptable to God, until they renounce their enmity to him, and love him supremely. They must be reconciled to the law, before they can be reconciled to the gospel. They must love the law, before they can love the gospel, and embrace the offers of life; for saving faith worketh by love. Let every sinner, therefore, immediately obey the first and great commandment, and exercise that love, which alone will secure the favor and enjoyment of God. "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwe!leth in God, and God in him."

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