Sermons preached

First, Love signifies a strong Inclination, or an earnest Bent of Heart towards God, as our chief Good, and last End. Well then, our End is our Measure by which we judge of all Means, of the Aptness and Fitness of what is to be avoided and embraced. The Seasonableness of all Means must be determined by the End, that all Means that are inconsistent with, and impertinent to our great End, may be cut off. Now all Sins are inconsistent with making God our great End, and all vain and foolish Actions are impertinent thereunto. Judge you by this, if we have such a perfect Love to God, if this be love, as questionless it is. But now with how many impertinent and extravagant Actions do we fill up our Lives? How many Purposes, Desires, Words, and Actions have we, that have no respect to our great End at all? How much do we live to our selves, and how little to ⟨p. 119⟩God? How great a Passion have we for earthly things, so that they can occupy and intercept the far greatest part of our Lives? and then judg, whether we had not need have the bent kept up, and the tendency towards God, as our End and Happiness. Psal. 86. 11. Unite my Heart to the fear of thy Name. It is the natural disease of Man's Heart to be loosed from God, and to be distracted in variety of worldly Objects, which obtrude themselves upon our Senses, offer themselves to us daily; therefore it is not enough for a Man once to resign over his Heart to God, as we do in Conversion when this Love was first wrought in us, but we need often to beg that God would reclaim us from this ranging after carnal Vanities, that he would direct, and keep us straight, and true to our end, that we may love him more, and at a better rate. So if you consider the nature of Love; the thing is obvious and plain, unless the Lord maintain this Love in us, and keep it up, what will become of us? The

First, Love signifies a strong Inclination, or an earnest Bent of Heart towards God, as our chief Good, and last End. Well then, our End is our Measure by which we judge of all Means, of the Aptness and Fitness of what is to be avoided and imbraced. The Seasonableness of all Means must be determined by the End, that all Means that are inconsistent with, and impertinent to our great End, may be cut off. Now all Sins are inconsistent with making God our great End, and all vain and foolish Actions are impertinent thereunto. Judge you by this, if we have such a perfect Love to God, if this be love, as questionless it is. But now with how many impertinent and extravagant Actions do we fill up our Lives? How many Purposes, Desires, Words, and Actions have we, that have no respect to our great End at all? How much do we live to our selves, and how little to