2r¢ Loving Chr1 above all, S E R M. fitive law is, " * thou fhalt love the Lord thy IX. " God with all thy heart, and with all thy " foul, and with all thy mind :" That is, with fincerity, and an inward affection as the confiant abiding principle of obedience ; and with chearfulnefs and delight, running in the way of his commandments. This ought to be the ruling principle in our minds, controuling and direding the mea- fure and exercife of all our other affections: For the leaf{ reflection will convince us, that there being a variety of inclinations and delires in our nature, which are the fprings of af.ion, there muff be a fubordination ; force muff neceflarily yield to others : And fo we find in experience. It is the predo- minant affection which conftitutes the cha- rader, and temper of a man. The covetous is he, in whom the love of wealth prevails over all other inclinations ; the ambitious in whom the love of honour ; the voluptuous, in whom the love of fenfual pleafures. Each of thefe will facrifice every other intereft to his idol, and every other delire, which is even natural to him, yet not fo ftrong. But to preferve an univerfal harmony in the mind of man, and to conflitute a truly re- ligious and virtuous charader, the love of Matt. xxii. 37. God,
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