Jesus Christ who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Tim. i. 10.

Who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Pet. ii. 9.

These things surely call for our highest gratitude ;-a gratitude not only to be acknowledged with our lips, but felt deeply in our hearts, and shown forth in our lives, by obeying him in all things, and by loving him supremely. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John iv. 11.

May we as much exceed the Israelites of old, in love and obedience, as we do in blessings!

Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee. Mark v. 19. Luke viii. 39.

I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. xii. 1. Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirít, which are God's. 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.

He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Heb. x. 28, 29.

Under what circumstances was the Law, or the Ten Commandments, given ?

The people were sanctified, bounds were set to the mount. Exod. xix. 10-13.

There were thunders and lightnings, &c. and the mount quaked greatly. Exod. xix. 16-18.

The people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, &c. Exod. xx. 18.

Ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, &c. Heb. xii. 18, 19. 21.

The Lord came down upon mount Sinai. Exod. xix. 20. And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. Exod. xxiv. 12.

And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. Exod. xxxii. 16. And Moses cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. Exod. xxxii. 19.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone, like unto the first; and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.-And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Exod. xxxiv. 1. 28.

Thus we see a solemn preparation was made for this

great event, and the giving of the law was attended with the most awful and impressive circumstances. We ought also to be seriously prepared, when we come to wait be fore God in his ordinances, and to receive the law from his mouth.

The same God now speaks the same words to you which he did to the children of Israel from Sinai. Hear him reverently, and obey him in all things. The Israelites had them written on tables of stone; but God has promised his people, in these latter days, to write them on the fleshy tables of the heart.

I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. Heb. x. 16.

What is required of us in these commandments?

Love to God and man.

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes? Deut. x. 12, 13.

What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Mic. vi. 8.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt. xxii. 37. 40. Mark xii. 28. 33. Luke x. 27.

If a man love me, he will keep my words. John xiv. 23.
Love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom. xiii. 10.

The love of Christ constraineth us. 2 Cor. v. 14.

All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Gal. v. 14.

The end of the commandment is charity. 1 Tim. i. 5.

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. James ii. 8.

Our Lord said, it was his meat to do his Father's will, (John iv. 34,) and David could say, "Thy law is better to me than thousands of gold and silver." Psalm cxix. 72. When our souls are filled with love, we shall not be disposed to complain of hardships and restraints in the commandments of God, nor try how far we may venture towards the verge of sin, (which is the transgression of the law,) without actually committing it: but accounting his yoke easy and his burden light, we shall feel a pleasure in submitting even to the most restrictive of

them, and labour continually to work the works of God. And

This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John vi. 28, 29.

Have you thus obeyed all the commandments of the law, and felt this faith working in you by love? Judge yourselves, that you be not judged of the Lord.

Can man in his natural state thus love God and keep his commandments?

No: he must be brought out of his natural state into a state of grace, and obtain strength from above, to do that which he cannot do of himself.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and Matt. vi. 24. Luke xvi. 13.

despise the other.

Me [the world] hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. John vii. 7.

If God were your Father, ye would love me. John viii. 42.
The lusts of your father, ye will do. John viii. 44.

Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you. John xv. 19.
The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost,
which is given unto us. Rom. v. 5.

The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom. viii. 7, 8.

The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. ii. 14.

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha. 1 Cor. xvi. 22.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. 2 Cor. iii. 5. As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Gal. iv. 29. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, &c.

Gal. v. 19.

By nature the children of wrath, even as others. Eph. ii. 3. Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 1 Thess. iv. 9.

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John ii. 15.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God; neither he that loveth not his brother. 1 John iii. 10. Love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. 1 John iv. 7, 8.

Did ever any man keep all the commandments?

None but Jesus. There is not a day nor an hour but we

break them, if left to ourselves. It is only by loving God, that we can be enabled to keep his law.-Have you obeyed the commandments by loving God?

Can any man be saved by the works of the law?

No: the law requires perfect obedience; "This do and thou shalt live" and no works of ours can be perfect in the sight of God.

All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Isa. lxiv. 6.

By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Rom. iii. 20.

A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. If righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Gal. ii. 16-21.

That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident; for, the just shall live by faith. Gal. iii. 11.

The Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Gal. iii. 22.

By grace are ye saved, through faith. Eph. ii. 8.

Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. ii. 9.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. Tit. iii. 5.

Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James ii. 10.

The law not only regards outward actions, but reaches to the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Thy commandment is exceeding broad. Ps. cxix. 96.

Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment. Matt. v. 22.

Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matt. v. 28. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36.

The law is spiritual. Rom. vii. 14.

What then is the use of the law?

1. It shows us the nature of God. The law, like him, is holy.

The commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Prov. vi. 23.

The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Rom. vii. 12.

2. It shows us our state as sinners, by detecting and making known to us our sins.

By the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. iii. 20.

Where no law is, there is no transgression. Rom. iv. 15.

The law entered that the offence might abound. Rom. v. 20. I had not known sin, but by the law. Rom. vii. 7.

3. It shows our need of a Saviour.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Rom. i. 18.

As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse. Gal. iii. 10.

The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. Gal. iii. 24. 4. It is designed to be the rule of our conduct.

According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand nor to the left. Deut. xvii. 11.

5. It is intended to try our love.

If ye love me keep my commandments. John xiv. 15.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. John xiv. 21.

If the love of Christ were always in our hearts, we should not be so continually sinning as we are. If we at all times felt a sense of what he has done and suffered for us, of the misery from which he has saved us, and of the happiness to which he has procured us a title, we should not so often grieve and insult him, by doing what is so offensive to him.

2d Collect, Evening Prayer.-Grant that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments.

Litany. That it may please thee to give us a heart diligently to live after thy commandments.

4th Sunday after Easter.-Grant that thy people may love the thing which thou commandest.

1st Sunday after Trinity.-That in keeping thy commandments, we may please thee both in will and deed.

11th Sunday after Trinity.-Grant that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises.

ON THE COMMANDMENTS.

2. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. WHAT is the first Commandment?

Thou shalt have none other gods but me-(before me.) This commandment is placed first, because our obedience to all the rest depends upon it: and observe, that it is addressed to each person individually,—“ Thou shalt have," &c.

What is forbidden in this Commandment?

1. It forbids our forming any conceptions of God different from those discoveries which he has made of himself in the Bible.