SERMON X. I JOHN iv. 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is THI of God. HIS epiftle of St. John may be called an exhortation to charity, the distinguishing grace and glory of Christianity. When the infirmities of age had rendered this venerable apostle unable to perform the publick duties of his ministry, he was conftantly led to the church, and only addreffed his congregation with this fhort fentence: "Little children love one "another." When at length his hearers SERM. X. SERM. X. were weary of this uniform repetition, and demanded why he always urged the fame injunction, he replied, "Because it "is the command of our Lord, and if ye do nothing else, this alone is fuffi"cient." Love was declared the only effential qualification, fince, as we are told by St. Paul, it is the fulfilling of the law *. All the obligations we owe to mankind being comprehended in that fingle virtue, if that can be called a fingle virtue which is rather a union of many. Let us, then, examine what is meant by love, and what are its effects upon human life. By love, as it is used in Scripture, particularly in the epiftle of St. John, may generally be understood extenfive charity. Not that species of moral excellence alone Rom. xiii. 10. |