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ftate. It is indeed one reason why he is actually SER M. fo little loved in the world, but it is no fufficient excuse. For the impoffibility of seeing GOD doth not render it impoffible to love him, and to live in his love, while we are here in this world, dweling in the flesh. And this alfo is plainly grounded in the text; for this vehement expoftulation of the Apostle, If any man do not love his brother whom he bath feen, how can be love GOD whom be bath not feen? plainly supposes it to be an intolerable thing not to love Go D. And therefore hence he takes the advantage of inforcing the duty of loving our brother, because otherwise we should be convicted, and proved to be no lovers of Go D; taking it for granted, that this would be efteemed a moft horrid thing, even at the very first fight. Otherwife his exhortation would have no force, nor pungency in it; but would be flat, and infignificant. Therefore he plainly fuppofes here, that though GOD's not being the object of fight doth render the exercise of love to him, upon that account, more difficult yet it doth not render it impoffible, or the neglect of it at all excufable; but confiders it as a thing to which men are most indifpenfibly obliged. This therefore will be my fecond head to difcourfe upon from this fcripture. And then in the

THIRD place, My defign is to fhew you the abfurdity of their profeffion of love to GOD, who do not love their brother alfo; and how falfe and fulfom a thing it is for men to pretend

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VOL. to any thing of fanctity and religion, while they neglect the duties of the second table. Of these we shall speak in order, and begin now with the

FIRST obfervation, That the impoffibility of feeing GOD renders the exercise of our love to him more difficult, than the exercise of it towards man whom we do fee.

In this doctrine there are two branches, which are to be diftinctly confidered.

I. THAT it is more difficult to love GOD than our brother.

II. THAT One great reafon of it is, that we cannot fee GOD, as we do our brother.

I. As to the former of these, that there is a greater difficulty in the exercise of love to GoD than to men, we may collect from the common obfervation of the world. For it is very plain and evident, that the common courfe and practice of men fhews what is more easy to them, and what lefs; it plainly discovers which way they are moft inclined. This is the thing, which I understand here by difficulty; and it answers the intent and force of the Apostle's expreffion, How can be that loveth not his brother whom be bath feen, love GOD whom he hath not feen? This plainly must be understood in a relative fenfe, and have refpect to fome agent, and here must have reference to ourfelves. It is lefs eafy to us, that is, it is a thing which our nature in our present state doth lefs incline us to, actually to live in the exercife of love towards GoD, than

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towards men. And, I fay, what men are more S ER M. or lefs inclined to, is to be seen in their common course; and from the common obfervation of the ftate and posture of the world we may gather, that men in general are lefs inclined to love Go D, than one another. And though it be very true, there is too little of love, kindness, and mutual affection among men, and a great neglect of juftice, common honesty, and the other duties of the fecond table, which love must be understood to comprehend; yet certainly the instances are not fo rare of perfons that are kind, courteous, affectionate, and well-humoured one to another, as of perfons well-affected towards GOD. This is a thing which commands our affent even at the very first fight. Nay further, though it is alfoy no less true, that men are too much lovers of themselves, to the exclufion not only of GoD, but of men too; yet certainly there is more of love to men, than to GoD, prevailing in the world. And to make this out, let us go to the usual evidences and expreffions of love; fuch as mindfulness of others, truft in them, a readiness to be concerned for their intereft, a ftudious care to please them, loving to converfe with them, or seeking and being pleased with it, and the like. If we defcend, I fay, to the confideration of fuch evidences of love as thefe are, we fhall find that man is generally better beloved, than GoD is. And that this may gain the greater poffeffion of our fouls, let us a little confider these particular evidences of love; and then fee whether men are

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VOL. not generally more beloved by one another, than GoD is by them; hereby we shall plainly fee, what is most agreeable to their temper, and what not. And,

I. MINDFULNESS, or a kind remembrance of others, is a most natural evidence of love. But what! are men who tranfact affairs one with another, fo apt to forget each other, as they are to forget GOD? It is given us as a common diftinctive character of a wicked man, that he is one that hath not GOD in all his thoughts. For thus faith the Pfalmift, The wicked in the pride of his countenance, that is, his heart expreffing itself in the haughtiness of his countenance, and his fupercilious looks, will not feek after GOD; GOD is not in all his thoughts. And by the fame divine penman a wicked man, and a forgetter of GOD, are used as exegetical expreffions. But there is many a wicked man that will kindly remember his friends, his relations, even his very companions in wickedness. And if we demand an account of ourselves, do we not find it more eafy and familiar to us to entertain thoughts concerning our friends, and relations, from day to day, than we do to think of GOD? Are we not also more inclined to love them than GOD? What we love, we are not apt to forget. The defire of our foul is to thee, and to the remembrance of thy name. Our love to thee, which naturally works by defire, will not let us forget thee; it is too deeply impreffed and rooted in us ever to lose the remembrance of the object of our love. This is one thing that fheweth, that God is a great deal

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deal less loved by men, than they are by one ano- SER M. ther. Again,

2. To be apt to trust in one another, is a very natural evidence and expreffion of love. Whom we hate, we cannot truft; whom we love intirely, we know not how to diftruft. One of the characters of love is this, It bopeth all things, it believeth all things, it abhors to entertain a, jealous furmife of the perfon, who is the object of it. Now let the matter be tried by this falfo, and how much more ready are men to truft to one another, than they are to truft to GOD! What is there fo vain, fo uncertain, fo unstable, which they are not more forward to repofe their trust in, than in him? Therefore, faith the Apostle to Timothy, Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded; nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living GOD f. Which charge implies the propenfity of men's minds, rather to truft in the moft fugitive, uncertain, vanishing fhadows, than in GoD himself. This is an argument, that he hath but little love among men; that he cannot be trusted; and that few will give him credit. But how fafely and quietly do men repofe a truft and confidence in one another? And indeed if faith and trust were not natural to man, there would be no fuch thing as commerce, which is the bond of human fociety. The world muft diffolve and break up; all must live apart in dens, and caves, and wilderneffes, and have nothing to do one with another,

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