of the Vine until that day when I shall drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom In which words the Holy Jesus seemeth to intimate two things to his Disciples 1. That this was the last time that he should ever celebrate this Feast with them in this World. 2. That though they were not to expect his Company his Bodily presence yet they and the whole Church represented by them should keep up the observation of this Feast till they met again to celebrate an Eternal Feast in his Father's Kingdom And that this latter was designed by him is evident from those words of St. Paul 1 Cor. 11.26 As often as ye do eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew or shew ye forth the Lord's Death till he come Thus have I shown you that those four Conditions which are thought necessary to the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called are all to be found in this and therefore this may deservedly be reckoned as one of that number But to make the notion of this Sacrament yet more plain to you let us consider by what names it is usually known in holy Scripture It is called a Supper and the Lord's Supper 1 Cor. 11.20 It is also called a Feast and a Feast upon a Sacrifice 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us Therefore let us keep the Feast saith St. Paul. When therefore you fix your thoughts upon this holy Sacrament with a design to celebrate the same let me desire you to look upon it 1. As a Feast 2. As a Feast upon a Sacrifice 3. As a Feast upon a Sacrifice for sin 1. Consider it as a divine Feast which our Lord hath appointed to be kept in Commemoration of himself The cheer provided viz. Bread and Wine and the Body and blood of Christ The actions about it viz. Receiving Eating and Drinking The names given to it viz. Breaking of Bread and the Lord's Supper The design thereof which is to nourish up the members of Christ's Church unto Eternal Life do all of them sufficiently speak this notion of it And that it was ordained to be a Commemoration-Feast the very words of Institution tell us which say This do in remembrance of me Luke 22. v. 19. Nor were these kind of Feasts unusual in the World both before and at that time For as the Hebrews had their Feasts which were commonly signified by setting on Bread or Eating Bread. So the Greeks also had their sober Compotations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At which Feasts they did usually commemorate the worthy actions and glorious Examples of some memorable persons And this no doubt was the design of this most holy Feast wherein Christians have the honour not only to feast with but upon God the holy Jesus being both the Master of it and the cheer provided in it Wherein we have an opportunity of feasting with one another thereby the better to promote and preserve amity love and charity among our selves to keep up a lasting remembrance of our glorious Redeemer and to fix more deeply in our minds all that he hath done and suffered for us Hereby shall we be the better disposed with all thankfulness and humility to embrace such opportunities when offered with greater joy and alacrity to address our selves thereunto and made the more careful that in a becoming manner we appear before our Lord and Master therein In a word by this Commemoration-Feast we shall be the better disposed and hold our selves the more obliged to a cheerful observance of our Redeemer's Will and to pay a sincere and entire obedience to all his Laws 2. Consider it not only as a Feast but as a Feast upon a Sacrifice wherein we are more particularly to commemorate the sufferings and death of our blessed Saviour St. Paul doth very well explain those words of Christ Do this in remembrance of me Luke 22.19 when he saith As often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord ye shew forth the Lord's Death till he come 1 Cor. 11.26 thereby teaching us that we ought herein to commemorate the dying love of the holy Jesus with such suitable praises and thanksgivings as may be agreeable to that great goodness which he expressed by dying for us As in all Feasts of this kind both among the Jews and Gentiles God had his Portion and the people had their portion wherewith to entertain themselves and their Friends so in this Christian Feast we also are made partakers of the Sacrifice in that by these representations of the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus we are admitted to feast upon it And as by eating of the Sacrifices offered at the Altar both Jews and Gentiles professed themselves to be the Worshippers and Servants of that God to whom the oblation was offered so we by partaking of this holy Feast do make a solemn profession of the Christian Religion of our Faith in Jesus and obedience to him We declare our selves to be the Disciples and Followers of him to whom we join our selves in Communion Eating and Drinking together was always esteemed a sign of Friendship and good understanding between the parties so doing But when a Feast was made on purpose to express their Friendship then was it the more notorious But when the Feast was upon a Sacrifice then the obligation between them was held the more sacred and inviolable We therefore by being partakers of this holy Feast do thereby engage our selves in a mutual Covenant with the blessed Jesus and by often doing this we make repeated protestations of our fidelity and renew our Baptismal Vow and Covenant taking as we usually say the Sacrament upon it that in all things we will be faithful and obedient to him 3. Let us consider this holy Action not only as a Feast nor only as a Feast upon a Sacrifice but as a Feast upon a Sacrifice for sin That Jesus Christ did offer up himself as a Sacrifice for sin is so plain and evident through the whole History of the New Testament that to produce instances to attest it would look like an uncharitable censure of others as if they had neglected to peruse those sacred Records which contain the Charter for their Inheritance in Heaven Now in the time of the Law when any Beast was slain and offered in Sacrifice for sin it was not permitted in that case nor indeed in any other neither to the People nor Priests themselves to eat of the blood Nor had they any portion of the flesh for that was wholly burn'd To partake of the sin-offering therefore was a priviledge reserved for Christians who at this holy Feast are allowed both to eat the Bread which represents the Body or flesh of Christ and drink the Cup which represents his blood And in this case that of the Apostle is fully verified We have an Altar i. e. a Sacrifice whereof they had no right to eat who served the Tabernacle Hebr. 13. v. 10. By vertue
the way You have furnished me with a better notion of Sacraments than I had before and thereby given me so great satisfaction that you shall not need to bespeak my attention hereafter I beseech you therefore since you have well dispatched the notion of Sacraments in general that you would now proceed to that of the Lord's Supper in particular Pastor I shall very willingly comply with your desire and in so doing I shall endeavour to do these two things I. To show you plainly what notion you ought to have of the Lord's Supper II. That the Celebration thereof is a duty incumbent upon us by vertue of a divine Command I. We must look upon this Supper as a Sacrament properly so called I have already shown you what conditions are requisite to constitute such a Sacrament and if I make it appear that all those conditions are to be found in this then may it be justly reckoned as one of that number The Conditions I told you were these four 1. A Divine Institution Now that this holy Supper was instituted and ordained by Christ that it owes its Original to none other but only the Son of God and our Saviour will plainly appear from the concurrent testimonies of St. Matthew St. Mark and St. Luke St. Matthew gives us this account of it As they were eating Jesus took Bread Matth. 26. v. 26 27 28 29 30. and blessed it and brake it and gave it to the Disciples and said Take Eat This is my Body And he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins But I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the Vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom And when they had sung an Hymn they went out into the Mount of Olives Much to the same purpose is that account which St. Mark gives of it And as they did eat Jesus took bread Mark 14. v. 22 23 24 25 26. and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to them and said Take Eat this is my Body Also he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them and they all drank of it And he said unto them This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many Verily I say unto you I will drink no more of the fruit of the Vine until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God. And when they had sung an Hymn they went out into the Mount of Olives St. Luke also with little variation gives the same account And he took bread Luke 22. v. 19 20. and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to them saying This is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me Likewise also after Supper he took the Cup saying This Cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you And if we call in St. Paul to give his suffrage with these three Evangelists we shall find him according with them all in the History of the Sacrament and the Institution of it but most expresly with St. Luke 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25 26. I have received of the Lord that which I also have delivered unto you That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said Take Eat This is my body which is broken for you this do ye in remembrance of me After the same manner he took the Cup when he had supped saying This Cup is the new Testament in my blood this do as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew or shew ye forth the Lord's Death till he come Thus have I shown you all those Scriptures which give any account of the History of this Sacrament and the institution of it and you see plainly they do all agree that it was ordained and instituted by Christ that it owes its Original to none other but only the Son of God the Lord 's Christ and our Jesus and if so then the first thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called viz. A Divine Institution doth evidently appear in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 2. The second thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called is a visible sign And that there are such things in the Lord's Supper is visible and apparent for by the words of Institution Bread and Wine which are substantial and visible things are appointed to be the Elements thereof And though these in their own essence and nature do nothing differ from common Bread and Wine yet in regard of their designation and use they do very much differ therefrom For in this holy Supper they are designed for and used as outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace and in respect of that secret thing which is hidden under them and represented by them they become Sacramental 3. The third thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called is a divine promise added to the sign which importing spiritual grace here and eternal life hereafter may firmly unite the sign and thing signified and that this is to be found in the Lord's Supper is plain from the words of institution where the Bread blessed and broken is called the Body of Christ and the Cup the New Testament in his blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins And our Saviour expresly saith John 6.35 I am the bread of life he that cometh unto me shall not hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst And again v. 54 55 56. Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him Which plainly declareth an Union of the sign and thing signified by vertue of a divine word and promise in which Union consists the nature of a Sacrament properly so called 4. The fourth thing requisite for the constitution of a Sacrament properly so called is That it be given to the whole Church as a perpetual sign to continue so long as the external form of divine Worship instituted by God doth remain in that Church Now that this was given to the whole Church appears plainly from the institution of it for the Disciples to whom it was first given were the Representatives of the whole Church And that it was given for perpetuity seemeth plain from those words of our blessed Saviour Matth. 26.29 I say unto you that I will not drink henceforth of this fruit
of this priviledge we are made partakers of the Body and Blood of Christ and all the benefits thereof We are strengthned and refreshed in all grace and goodness and the remission of sins is not only offered but conveyed to every worthy Communicant The consideration whereof as it ought to beget in us a grateful sense of all God's favours and of this in particular so ought it to be an Obligation or Bond of Union between all Christian People For If God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4. v. 11. Thus have I performed the former part of my promise by shewing you what notion you ought to have of the Lord's Supper That it is a Sacrament properly so called having all the conditions that are or can be thought necessary to constitute such a thing That it is not only a Feast but a Feast upon a Sacrifice and which is more a Feast upon a Sacrifice for Sin. And under such a character as this I hope it will not appear to you with such a frightful visage as you tell me it hath been represented to you heretofore Parishioner No indeed Sir Instead of a dangerous and dreadful Precipice I have a plain path now before me instead of terrible and frightful objects I have a pleasant and delightful prospect instead of affrighting it doth now allure and invite me to it it seemeth to offer me such advantages as I once thought I could never reasonably hope for from it I confess Sir You have mightily relieved my mind by removing that pressure which prejudice and prepossession had put upon it I heartily thank you for the pains you have taken in it and am so well pleased and satisfied therewith that if it be not too great a trouble to you I would humbly beg the performance of the other part of your promise also Pastor No Neighbour Parishioner it will be no trouble to me I am better pleased with doing my duty than to think it so and therefore if you can but be contented to continue your Patience I shall not I hope grow weary of so good a work II. The other part of my promise was To make it evident to you That the Celebration of this holy Feast is a duty incumbent upon all Christians by vertue of a Divine Command And to do this I shall need only to have recourse to the words of institution as they stand recorded by St. Luke and repeated by St. Paul. In the Evangelist the words run thus He took Bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave to them saying This is my Body which is given for you This do in remembrance of me Likewise also after Supper he took the Cup saying This Cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you Luk. 22.19 20. The Apostle is somewhat more large taking in the account which the other Evangelists also give of it for he tells the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25 26. That he had received from the Lord that which he delivered unto them viz. That the Lord Jesus in the same night in which he was betrayed took Bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said Take Eat This is my Body which is broken for you This do ye in remembrance of me After the same manner also he took the Cup when he had supped saying This Cup is the New Testament in my blood This do as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye shew or shew ye forth the Lord's Death until he come These words as they are recorded by St. Luke are indeed directed to the twelve Apostles but then we are to consider that the Apostles in that holy action were the Representatives of the whole Church and therefore to be considered under a double capacity viz. either as Governours and Ministers intrusted by Christ with the power of dispensing and administring the Sacrament or as ordinary and Lay Communicants If we look upon them in the former capacity as Governours of the Church and Stewards of the sacred mysteries then the duty to which they are obliged by the express command of Christ is to take the Bread into their hands to bless and consecrate it to that mysterious and divine use to which he designed it to break it to give it to the Communicants as he gave it to them And so in like manner to take the Cup to bless it and give it to the people Whence it is plain That there is an unavoidable necessity upon them and their Successors to administer this holy Sacrament And if they stand obliged to give it then certainly there must be some who are obliged to receive it And if we look upon them in the other capacity as private men and Lay Communicants we have a plain evidence hereof For it is evident that in that capacity their duty in obedience to the Command of Christ was to take and receive the consecrated Elements of Bread and Wine to Eat and Drink and to do all this in commemoration of his wonderful love in giving his Body to be broken and his Blood to be shed for the sins of the World. But if we will suffer St. Paul who well knew it to explain the mind of his Master the matter will be yet more plain and evident For though he give the same account of the History of the Sacrament and the institution of it as the Evangelists do yet doth he not therein address himself to his Fellow-Apostles or their Successors but to the people of the Church of Corinth thereby plainly showing that the Command of our Blessed Saviour This do doth equally oblige both the one and the other That as the Priest is bound to prepare and give it so the people are bound to prepare and receive it and both by vertue of a divine Command For that these words Do ye this were not spoken by way of Counsel but Command will plainly appear if we consider that whatsoever may be thought requisite to render any expression preceptive and obligatory are to be found in this For 1. There was sufficient power and authority in the person commanding viz. Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God and our Saviour 2. The Terms in which he is pleased to signify his divine will and pleasure are imperative Do this 3. The obedience which he expects thereunto is to be perpetual till his coming again 1 Cor. 11.26 4. St. Pauls interpretation and application of this command to the Lay Communicants in the Church of Corinth doth plainly speak the design of our blessed Saviour which was to oblige them and all Christians to do this in remembrance of him i. e. to express their thankful acknowledgments of what he did and suffered for them by their dutiful obedience to this Command Thus have I performed the other part of my promise to you and I hope made it sufficiently
plain that the Celebration of this Feast is a duty incumbent upon all Christians by vertue of a Divine Command And if so then how those who pretend to Christianity will at the great and general day of Judgment answer their neglect and refusal of it I wish they would seriously consider But my Friend can you and I reflect upon this as the Command and last Command of our dying Saviour Can we remember that he gave his Body to be broken and his blood to be shed for our sins Can we think of his being made subject to the wrath of God the hatred of Hell and the malice of Man and all this for our sakes and that for all this he requireth no more of us but only to keep a Feast wherein we may solemnly commemorate and perpetuate the memory of what he hath done and suffered for us Can we I say remember all this and yet at the same time be so unkind so ungrateful and so undutiful as to neglect opportunities when offered of paying the tribute of our acknowledgment to our great Saviour and mighty Redeemer To close up this Argument let me only read unto you one place of Scripture and desire you seriously to consider it John 6. v. 54 55 56. Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood ye have no life in you Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my Blood hath Eternal Life and I will raise him up at the last day For my flesh is meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him The inference from which words as they relate to this holy Feast is plain and easy viz. That as it is highly necessary for all who would be saved to be made partakers of the merits of Christ's Sacrifice and the efficacy of his Death and Sufferings so will it as highly concern them who have an opportunity to do it to partake of the Lord's Supper in order thereunto For those who refuse when they may to receive the tokens and signs of his Body broken and Blood shed for their sins and persist in that refusal and neglect can never hope to be owned and rewarded by him as his Friends Parishioner I must needs own Sir that you have very well acquitted your self in the performance of what you promised I am better instructed in the nature and notion of this holy Sacrament than I was before and am now very well satisfied that the Celebration of it is a duty upon me and all Christians by vertue of a Divine Command But Sir I have still some scruples upon me which if I did not fear I had too much tired you already I would have propounded in order to your resolution of them Pastor Let not any such fear trouble you I neither am nor can be weary of well doing If therefore you have any thing to offer be free in it and assure your self of my utmost endeavour to give you satisfaction Parishioner Sir You oblige me very much and seeing you are pleased to give me that freedom I will presume to make use of it Obj. 1. And the first thing I shall propound and desire to be resolved in is this Whether this duty be so strictly enjoined and so indispensibly required of all Christians that none of them are left at liberty either to Communicate or not as they shall think fit Pastor This Query seems to answer it self for 1. It supposeth the thing in question to be a Duty and if so then it ought to be out of question for every Duty implieth an obligation and every obligation layeth a restraint upon liberty and taketh away the indifferency of the thing it obligeth to To be at liberty therefore either to do or not do a thing must suppose the thing not only to be indifferent in its nature but also to be free from any command or obligation and so consequently to be no duty at all but only a prudential Act which a man may either do or leave undone as he in his discretion shall see cause 2. It supposeth the thing in question to be a Duty enjoined which implyeth a superiour power endued with full and just authority to impose the thing and by that imposition to make it necessary Now that power I have told you is God and that authority Divine which maketh the thing required to be a duty upon us by vertue of a Divine Command So that unless you can assign any power superiour to that of God which can and doth dispense with his Commands you can never fancy to your self any such liberty as you seem here to enquire after These two considerations might suffice to overthrow this pretence of liberty and show the necessity of the thing required but because I would willingly quiet your mind and give you all the satisfaction that I can I shall offer a few things more to your consideration and desire you to spend some serious thoughts upon them 1. Consider the extent of the Command and the unlimited obligation thereof The word of Command Do this is general and indeterminate it reacheth all Christians in all times and in all places and when all are included none are exempted And the obligation of duty and obedience thereunto is as general as the Command For unless we will call in question the power and authority of God and Christ we must needs acknowledge that to whomsoever it is said Do this they stand obliged both in duty and conscience to yield obedience thereunto If therefore the command reach all then the thing commanded must needs be a duty incumbent upon all And indeed I know no other limitation that this divine Command admits of save only one of these two viz. Either want of opportunity as when men are in a Journey in such a place and under such circumstances that though they do earnestly desire it yet can they not for want of an opportunity do the thing they desire Or some just impediment as when one is under a Church-censure or some indisposition which at present he cannot conquer In the former of these Cases men must in the latter they may forbear the doing of the thing required These Cases may limit but they do not lessen the Duty They may suffice as excuses for the present but they will not serve always For so soon as an opportunity can be had and the impediments be removed the obligation will return upon us and in obedience to this Command we ought to apply our selves to the performance of the duty required therein 2. Consider That to disobey the command of God when we have an opportunity and no just impediment to hinder us from yielding obedience thereunto is not only a sin but a sin of a deep die tinctured with so much pride and obstinacy and attended with such aggravations as maketh it not only highly displeasing unto God but if not timely repented of will render it
mightily pleased and wonderfully well satisfied with those directions which you have given me and am resolved by God's blessing with care and Conscience to observe them I know I cannot do it so well as I should but I will do it as well as I can and I hope God will accept my willing mind and pardon my weaknesses and infirmities But Sir You did also promise to direct me how to demean and behave my self when I am at this holy Feast so that I may not displease and offend my blessed Saviour who hath been and still is so kind to me Pastor It is very true I did promise you that also and I hope I shall not fail you therein because I intend to take two unerring Guides along with me viz. The blessed Jesus and his holy Apostle St. Paul The former of which not only commandeth us to do this but to do it in remembrance of him Luk. 22.19 and the latter tells us that in the doing of it there ought to be a Discerning of the Lord's Body 1 Cor. 11.29 1. When we come to this holy Feast we ought to call to mind all that the blessed Jesus hath done and suffered for us He who commandeth us to do this commandeth also to do it in remembrance of him This holy Feast was never intended by the blessed Author and Instituter of it to be an Expiatory or propitiatory Sacrifice nor as the Papists call it an unbloody offering for the sins both of the quick and dead nor for a scenical and histrionical representation of the Death of Christ But it was designed to be an Eucharistical Sacrifice or a Sacramental action whereby Christians are to commemorate that bloody Sacrifice which Jesus Christ offered upon the Cross for the sins of Mankind And therefore St. Paul reciting the words of Institution applyeth them to this holy action saying This do ye in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11.24 25. And that he might be the better understood he explaineth himself in the following words saying As often as ye eat this bread and drink this Cup ye shew forth or shew ye forth the Lord's death till he come v. 26. Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here used and rendered to shew forth doth not signify to express one thing by the likeness of another nor to represent it by histrionical gestures but to preach and declare the thing as it is i. e. by celebrating this holy Feast to keep up the memorial thereof and thereby declare what a deep sense we have of all that our blessed Saviour hath done and suffered for us Whence by the way I may note unto you the vanity of that Popish Figment of Transubstantiation For if the blessed Jesus had designed to have been always really and bodily present with his people in this holy Feast this command of his would have been very insignificant for Remembrance doth not respect things future or things present but things past But to return to our business To do this in remembrance of him and in so doing To shew forth the Lord's Death seem to be expressions exegetical or explanatory of one another And therefore it may not be amiss to enquire into the sense and meaning of both that we may the better understand how to behave our selves at this holy Feast To that purpose I shall take them in order and show you 1. What it is To do this in remembrance of him 2. What it is To shew forth the Lord's Death 1. What it is To do this in remembrance of him Ans An idle and unconcerned remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ such as men sometimes have when they call to mind things past which are of no great concern to them is not the thing here intended No it must be an effectual remembrance i. e. Such an one as may stir up our minds to apprehend and apply Christ with all his benefits to our selves so to remember the Sacrifice and Death of Christ that we may thence reap Comfort Joy Peace of Conscience increase of Faith and Charity and an assured hope of future life and felicity on that account So to remember the love that he hath shown unto us therein as to be always thankful to him for it But to be more particular 1. When we come to God's Table and there see the two Elements of Bread and Wine ready prepared to be delivered to and received by us we ought to call to mind that Jesus Christ is a perfect Saviour and that his Body and Blood which are represented thereby are the true Bread and Water of Life to all that believe in him and worthily receive that holy Sacrament 2. When we see the Bread and Wine set a-part by the Minister and by him Consecrated to that holy purpose by repeating the Promises and Prayers made for that end we ought to remember that Jesus Christ was also ordained of God appointed and set a-part by him to be our Mediator and Redeemer to make intercession for us at the Throne of Grace and redeem us from all our sins 3. When we see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out it should put us in mind how the Body of Christ was broken and his Blood shed for us how he was Crucified and slain and all this for our sins and that if he had not thus once died for us we must have died ever i. e. we must have undergone an ever yet never dying Death 4. The Sacramental actions of giving and receiving the Elements should put us in mind That God doth truly and really give Christ with all his merits and all the efficacy of them to every worthy Receiver in this Sacrament 5. The consideration of these two last Meditations should put us upon renewing our Faith and Repentance For 1. When we remember that his Body was broken and his Blood shed for us it should stir up in us a godly sorrow and unfeigned repentance for our sins which have been the causes of so great sufferings to our blessed Saviour 2. When the Minister giveth the Bread and Wine and we receive them we should at the same time lift up our hearts to Heaven in a deep sense of God's goodness and our own unworthiness and endeavour to apprehend and apply Christ with all his benefits to our selves believing that he was made man for us and that he suffered and died not for the remission of sins in general but of our sins in particular 6. The consideration of the dying Love of the blessed Jesus represented to us in this holy Sacrament ought to put us in mind how necessary a charitable frame and temper of mind is this Feast If Christ have so loved us then certainly we ought to love him and if we would do this well let let us take his own directions who saith If ye love me keep my Commandments John 14.15 And if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4.11 Love to the Brethren