i;,(» 1 joun, in. it. [2449.
all mankind. Come, brethren, gird yourselves to the occa- sion. Your God and Saviour demands it at your hands. The whole universe also joins in one common cry, " Come over to us, and help us." And he who most abounds in offices of love to others, shall receive the richest recompence into his own hosom from thai God whose name and nature is •' Love."]
I John iii. 17. Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his boivels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?
UNDER the law there were two great command- ments : the first was, to love God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and the second was, to love our neighbour as ourselves. And under the Gospel they are still in force, or rather, I should say, are enjoined more emphatically than ever, being enforced with new motives, so as to bear the stamp and character of " a new commandment1." They are on no account to be separated in our practice and regards ; neither can one be obeyed without the other. True, indeed, many will flatter themselves that they obey the one, whilst they are notoriously regardless of the other. But they only deceive their own souls : and this so palpably, that the Apostle appeals to the offenders themselves, and makes them judges in their own cause : " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" He may pretend to love God ; but the love of God is not in him : for "if he does not love his brother whom he hath seen, he can never truly love God whom he hath not seen1';" and consequently he is destitute of all religion.
In confirmation of this truth, I shall shew, I. That he can have no true piety, who is destitute of love to God —
a 1 John ii. 7, 8. b 1 John iv. 20.