14 Religion confi s much PART I, with all thy Mind : This is thefirfl, and great Commandment ; and the jecond is like unto it, Thou(halt love thy Neighbour as thy Pelf. On thefe two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Which laft Words fignify aspaAch, as that thefe two Commandments compre- hend all the Duty:.pÀefcribed, and the Religion taught in the Law, and the Prophets. And the Apoftle Paul does from Time to Time make the fame Reprefentation of the Matter ; as in Rom. 12. 8. He that lovetb another, bathfulled the Law. And Ver. r o. Love is the "Willing of the Law. And Gal. 5. 14.. For all the Law is fulfilled in one Word,even in this,Thoufhalt love thy Neighbour as thy f lf. So like- wife in i Tim. r. 5. Now the End of the Commandment is Charity, out of a pure Heart; &c. So the fame Apoftle fpeaks of Love, as the great& Thing in Religion, and as the Vitals, Effence and Soul of it ; without which, the greateft Knowledge and Gifts, and the molt glaring Profeffion, and every thing elle which appertains to Religion, are vain and worthlefs ; and reprefents it as theFountain from whence proceeds all that is good, in r Cor. 13. thro'out ; for that which is there rendred Charity, in the Original is a'a,zs, the proper Englifh of which is Love. Now altho' it be true, that the Love thus fpoken of, includes the whole of a fincerely benevolentPropenfity of theSoul,towards God and IVIan ; yet it may be confidered, that it is evident from what has been before obferved, that this Propenfity or Inclination of the Soul, when in fenfible and vigorous Exercife, becomes i1ifeRion, and is no other than affeEtionate Love. And furely it is fuch vigourous and fervent Love which Chrift fpeaks of, as the Sumof all Religion, when he fpeaks of Loving God with all our Hearts, with all our Souls, and with all our Minds, and our Neighbour as ourfelves, as the Sum of all that was taught and prefcribed in the Law and the Prophets. Indeed it cannot be fuppofed, when this Affcc`tion of Love is here, and in other Scriptures, fpoken of as the Sum of all Religion, that hereby is meant the Mt, exclufive of the Habit, or that the Exercife of the Underftanding is excluded, which is implied in all reafonable Affection. But it is doubtlefs true, and evident from thefe Scrip- tures, that the Effence ofall true Religion lies in holy Love ; and that in this divine Affection, and an habitual Difpofitidn to it, and that Light which is the Foundation of it, and thofe Things which are the Fruits of it, confifts the Whole of Religion. From hence it clearly and certainly appears, that great Part of true Religion confifts in the Affecìions. For Love is not only one of the Affections, but it is the first and chief of the Affections, and the Fountain of all theAffe6tions. FromLove arifesHatred of thofeThings which arecontrary to what we love,or which oppofe& thwart us in thofe Things that we delight in: And from the various Exercifes of Love rid Hatred, according to , the Circumftances of the Objedts of thefe Affections, ,.....
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