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joy the whole; all is common there; it does not propose to render to each what belongs to him, for nothing belongs to any one, the whole belongs to all; God is the God of all; Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all; his blood, his merit, his spirit, his kingdom, his heaven, all belong to all without distinction, without partition. St. Paul was well acquainted with this, when he said, The care of all the churches was upon him from day to day; Who is weak, adds he, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?

The third part of the text consists of the principles, from which this love ought to proceed: a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. You may remark, 1. that a pure heart may signify a sincere and honest heart, opposed to a heart double and hypocritical: for it is true, that our love ought to be accompanied with openness and integrity: it should have its seat in an upright soul, free from fraud and dissimulation. A feigned love is hatred covered with a veil of friendship: or at best, it is coldness and indifference hid under appearances of zeal. Of this kind are worldly friendships, which last no longer than while they serve a turn, and vanish as soon as they become unprofitable. What numbers are animated only by this false love? They profess to love God and their neighbours, they give all the outward signs of it: but their love does not proceed from a pure heart; could you penetrate their souls, you would find nothing but selfinterest; and, in regard to God and their friends, nothing but negligence and contempt. How many are there whose love to God and man is only base and selfish? They love God because God has a salvation to give them; and they love their neighbours because some advantages will arise from commerce with them. Should these considerations cease, their love would expire with them. This is not to love with a pure heart. Sincere love must be independent on self-love. God must be loved because he is supremely lovely; and our neighbour, because he is the image of God, and because he and we make but one mystical body of Jesus Christ.

2. By a pure heart we may understand an heart sanctified and disengaged from every kind of uncleanness and vice. This distinguishes Christian love: 1. From that idolatrous love which false religions inspire; for this proVOL. I. N

ceeds from a prejudiced mind. A heart defiled with sin is capable of only a blind carnal criminal zeal, a rash impetuosity towards a false object, in favour of which the mind is prepossessed. Christian love, on the contrary, proceeds from a pure heart, that is, a heart truly regenerate, a heart where sin is dethroned, and where holiness and righteousness reign. 2. Christian love is also hereby distinguished from worldly friendship. This last is a sympathy of many hearts conspiring together in the service of vice as a master. Thus debauchees love each other, drunkards associate together, thieves unite, the voluptuous are delighted with each other's conversation; vice makes associates as well as virtue, and conformity among sinners produces some kind of love. Christian love is not of this nature, it proceeds from a pure heart; it is the sympathy and communion of many souls joined together in bonds of the same piety, the same integrity, the same sanctity.

3. Methinks a pure heart may also be understood as opposed to a heart perplexed and embarrassed, as that of a superstitious person is. Superstition is a confused medley of different, contrary, and inconsistent sentiments. Sometimes it rises into excessive boldness, and suddenly it sinks into timidity and scrupulosity; now it swells with haughtiness, then it shrivels with horror: its tones, like false music, are without order, without measure, without rule. True and genuine love cannot proceed from a mind in this state, it demands a pure heart, a mind uniform and well-regulated, entertaining such ideas of God and our neighbour as we ought.

To this the Apostle adds a good conscience, which is almost the same as the pure heart, of which we have spoken: for to love God with a good conscience is to love him sincerely, free from scrupulosity, without fraud, without hypocrisy, without a mixture of interest, without dependence on self-love: it is to love him neither with a transient impetuosity, nor with the imperfect desires of enjoying his communion and presence; but with a real and faithful application to all that regards his glory, to the obedience of his commands, and the observation of his laws. In one word, it is so to love him, as to be able to assure ourselves that we do love him, so that when

we examine ourselves on this point we may be able to satisfy our own minds.

In fine, St. Paul says, this love proceeds from faith unfeigned; which means that faith is the parent of this love; for it is from the knowledge and persuasion which we have of God's love towards us, that this love arises in our hearts, both to God and man. You may here summarily relate what Scripture teaches us concerning the ineffable abundance of God's love to us, particularly in giving us his Son, and his Holy Spirit, which are the two most admirable fruits of the love of God. Observe also what a perfect and supremely amiable idea of the Divinity faith gives us, in opposition to the imperfect light of nature; and remark also, that this faith must be unfeigned, true, and lively; not consisting in a bare speculation of gospel mysteries, but in an extensive practical knowledge of Christian doctrines, and in a full persuasion of the truth of divine revelation. In this manner simple terms should be discussed.'

When there are many simple terms in a text, you must consider, whether it would not be more proper to treat of them comparatively with each other, than to discuss them separately or each apart; for sometimes it would be very injudicious to discuss them separately, and very agreeable to do it by comparison. Take for example St. Luke's words, chap. ii. 8, 9, 10, 11. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which

Christ the Lord. In my opinion it would be very absurd to pretend to treat separately these simple terms, in order to explain what is a shepherd, and what is an angel, &c. But a comparison of these terms with each other would

In this manner simple terms should be discussed. This instructive way of explicitly discussing the terms of scripture, well and judi

sly executed, is full of edification. But great care must be Taken to preserve an UNITY in the subject; for, without that, the discourse would be an uninteresting, unedifying rhapsody.

afford very beautiful and agreeable considerations, as will appear by the following analysis of the text. Let it then be divided into two parts: let the first be the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, with all the circumstances which the history remarks: and the second, the angels' message to them. The first is contained in the eighth and ninth verses, and the second in the tenth and eleventh.

As to the first, you may remark that this meeting of the angel and shepherds was not accidental or by chance, but by the order of the providence of God, who there placed the shepherds, and thither sent his angel. You may amplify this by shewing,

1. That God causes his grace to descend not only upon the great and powerful of the world, but also on the most simple and most inconsiderable.

2. That it seems as if he took more pleasure in bestowing his favours on the most abject, than in distributing them among persons of elevated rank. Matt. xi. 25. 1 Cor. i. 26. For while he sent the wise men of the East to Herod, he sent an angel of heaven to the shepherds, and conducted them to the cradle of the Saviour of the world.

3. That in this meeting of the angels and shepherds there is a character of the economy of Jesus Christ, wherein the highest and most sublime things are joined with the meanest and lowest. In his person the eternal Word is united to a creature, the divine nature to the human, the Lord of Glory to mean flesh and blood. In his baptism he is plunged in the water, and the Father speaks to him from heaven; he is under the hand of John the Baptist, and the Holy Ghost descends upon him. In his temptation he hungers, yet miraculously supports a fast of forty days; the devil tempts him, and angels obey him. On his cross, naked, crowned with thorns, and exposed to sorrows, yet at the same time shaking the earth and eclipsing the sun. Here in like manner angels are familiar with shepherds: angels to mark his majesty, shepherds his humility: angels, because he is Creator and Master of all things; shepherds, because he made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a

servant.

After this you may make a proper reflection on the time mentioned by St. Luke, who says, The shepherds were

abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. You may observe that while these shepherds were busy in their calling, God sent his angel to them; and that however simple and mean the employments of men may be, it is always very pleasing to God when they discharge them with a good conscience.

Remark a second circumstance; The glory of the Lord shining around the shepherds. Here you may observe,

That when angels borrow human forms to appear to men (as it is likely this angel did, when he appeared to the shepherds) they have always appeared with some ensigns of grandeur and majesty, to shew that they were not men but angels, that is to say, beings of a superior order. Thus the angels who appeared at Christ's resurrection were clothed with shining garments; and so were they who appeared to the disciples after his ascension. Here the angel is accompanied with a great light, shining around the shepherds.

The third remarkable circumstance in the text is, the great fear with which the shepherds were seized.

1. This was an effect of their great surprise. When grand objects suddenly present themselves to us, they must needs fill us with astonishment and fear.

2. This fear also arose perhaps from emotions of conscience. Man is by nature a sinner, and consequently an object of the justice and vengeance of God; when, therefore, any thing extraordinary and divine appears to him, he necessarily trembles. This may be exemplified by Adam, who, having sinned, fled, and, the moment he heard the voice of God, hid himself; or by the Israelites, who were terrified when God appeared to them upon the mountain: and hence that proverbial saying among them, We shall die, for we have seen God.

But, as the thoughts of God are far different from the thoughts of men, these poor shepherds did not long remain in this state: but joy presently succeeded their fear. Fear not, said the angel, behold! I bring you glad tidings. Agreeable surprise! far different from what will befal sinners at the last day; for when they cry, Peace, peace! then sudden destruction shall come upon them: but here, when the shepherds trembled, when they were seized with a dreadful horror, which made them apprehend all danger, forth issues the greatest of all joys, the most affecting of

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