tion; it follows that no regard to him can be proper and acceptable, which does not far exceed our love to any other object. If therefore a person possessed some degree of respect to God, but at the same time regarded the world with still higher esteem and affection; the former would be justly accounted, as nothing, as vanity, and a lie. For nothing merits the name of love and homage to the Supreme, but that which treats him as supremely glorious, and accordingly gives him the supremacy, yea, the entire possession of the heart. Since therefore the reigning love of the world denies him this supreme affection; it is justly stigmatized as inconsistent with proper and genuine love to him. This reasoning will acquire additional strength, if we observe, Fourthly, That the same realizing and efficacious views of the glory of God, which attract the least degree of true love to him, will certainly produce a supreme affection. All unrenewed or impenitent sinners are inimical to the great Jehovah, from a conviction of his holiness, justice, and truth, and of their own contrariety to this holiness, and consequent exposedness to the condemning sentence of this justice and truth. This enmity can be removed only by the removal of its cause: which is accomplished when we become radically changed and renewed from sinful idolatry, by the Spirit of the divine Redeemer. When this is effected, we are reconciled to God; being now conformed in disposition to his moral character. Of course those awful attributes of Deity, which before we viewed with dislike and terror, are now amiable and consoling to our minds. His holiness, which is the sum and crown of his perfections, is now congenial and delightful to our sanctified taste, and raises our highest esteem and complacency. I say our highest esteem; for the same objective grounds, which engage us to love him at all, will constrain our superlative affection: for we love every object according to its ap. parent loveliness and value. Now, since God necessarily appears to the enlightened and renewed mind, the best and most excellent Being; since he is an object perfectly suited to its rectified dispositions, and fitted to satisfy its largest desires and expectations; it will of course give him its highest love. It will seek and find its proper happiness in him alone. It will despise and renounce all created sources of enjoyment, when brought into comparison or competition with him. Where there is not this transcendent love to the chief good taking place of inordinate worldly attachments; there is not that spiritual renovation in the views and affections of the mind, which is essential to the Christian character. Our subject may be applied for the conviction and terror of those, whose character answers to the description of the text. It is to be feared there are many nominal Christians, who really belong to this class, who yet esteem themselves true disciples of Christ, and heirs of his heavenly kingdom. They cloak their covetous desires and pursuits under the soft and innocent names of prudence and economy, of commendable diligence, or necessary attention to the support of their families. Similar arts of self deception are used by those, who are supremely devoted to the honours or pleasures of the world. But let me beseech all such characters critically to examine their own habitual feelings and conduct, by those marks of a worldly temper, which have been specified; and if on such inquiry, conscience shall pronounce them guilty, let them solemnly consider, that the word of God excludes them from the catalogue of Christians, and expressly shuts them out of the kingdom of heaven. Let them remember too, that the nature of things as well, as the revealed constitution of God, debars those, whose hearts, whose chosen treasures have been wholly earthly and sensual from the spiritual and refined felicity of the celestial world. It is congruous, it is necessary, that our fate should correspond to our prevailing choice and character during this preparatory state. If then the world be the main object of our affection and delight, our happiness, such as it is, must necessarily expire, and a state of consequent misery ensue from the instant, in which death shall separate us from this idol of our hearts. Then, if not before, we shall fully realize the truth and emphasis of the poet's monitory representation; "Lean not on earth; 'twill pierce thee to the heart; On its sharp point peace bleeds, and hope expires." Let us all remember, that the world in its best state cannot suit and fill an immortal spirit; that its purest enjoyments are at once mixed and unsatisfying, precarious and transitory. Reason, experience, and revelation unitedly proclaim that all below is vanity. Thus saith the Lord, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain. Riches take to themselves wings, and fly away. World, ly honour and sensual gratification afford but a shortlived gleam of pleasure. Earthly friendships are imperfect and mortal. The world itself is passing away. From henceforth then let us seek a better country, that is, an heavenly. Ye that seek it, seek it early. Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth. For, by your Christian baptism and profession, ye are dead to the world, and alive to God and heaven. Act agreeably to this profession. Let your life be hid with Christ in God. Then, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, ye also shall appear with him in glòry. CC Sermon XIV. On the Divine Preference of Mercy to Sacrifice. MATTHEW xii. 7. I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. THIS passage is quoted by our Saviour from the Old Testament, to justify his disciples in gathering and rubbing out a few handfuls of corn, for their necessary refreshment on the Sabbath day. When the superstitious Pharisees condemned this action, as a profanation of the Sabbath, Jesus repels the accusation by showing, from their own scriptures, that God requires acts of charity before positive or ceremonial observances. When God declares by his prophet, "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice," the genius of the Hebrew language, and the general tenor of Scripture, oblige us to understand it in a comparative sense; as importing that the Deity values sacrifice far less than mercy, and when they interfere with each other, he requires us to omit the former, and attend to the latter. Many important texts, both in the old and new Testament, must be evidently expounded in this comparative sense. The words, thus explained, suggest the following proposition; That moral duties towards men are a more valuable and essential branch of religion, than external acts of worship towards God. To set the proposition before us in a correct and just light, I must observe that religion essentially consists in the respect of dependent creatures to their Creator; which respect, expressed in every suitable way, comprises the whole of religious duty. Hence acts of jus tice and charity towards men may and do form a part of religion, because a true regard to God will prompt sincere love and beneficence to his creatures; and when these social affections and offices flow from a pious re spect to God; when only a cup of cold water is given to one of Christ's disciples, as a testimony of love and obedience to him; it is as properly an exercise of true religion, as those duties, which immediately refer to our Maker. Accordingly, the duties of religion are justly divided into two great classes; one of which refers imme diately to God, the other to man. It must be further observed, that the worship of God consists of two parts, external and internal: the former is made up of bodily and visible action; the latter of the secret dispositions and exercises of the heart. The one is an outward sign or manifestation of the other, and is also an essential ingredient in social or public worship; as without it our common sentiments and feelings could not be expressed. But internal homage, consisting in hearty love, reverence, gratitude, penitence, and desire, constitutes the main part, yea the soul of true religion and of acceptable worship. To illustrate still further this important dis tinction, let us attend to the ancient Jewish sacrifices, to which our text alludes, and which formed a large part of God's ancient instituted worship. The killing and offering of beasts upon the altar was the external part, or the body of that worship; while love to God, repentance of sin, and faith in the future sacrifice of Christ, were the inward and vital spirit of it. latter was an indispensable duty at all seasons and in all The |