Seven Sermons in Exposition of the Church Catechism (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1838 Excerpt: ... SERMON III. THE FIRST FOUR COMMANDMENTS, AND DUTY TO GOD. Matthew 22. 37, 38. "Jesus said unto him, Thou shall 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." In the Catechism, we are taught to refer the duty of keeping God's commandments to our baptismal promise: "You said that your godfathers and godmothers did promise for you, that you should keep God's commandments." And we are also taught to say that these commandments are in number ten; meaning, that these ten are the chief, though there are many more, these "ten which God spake in the twentieth chapter of Exodus." And it is evident that our blessed Lord in the text, and in the words which follow it, refers to these same ten commandments, saying, "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." So that if the Law reduces all the commandments of God to ten, the Gospel reduces all to two. And when we are asked what commandments we are bound to obey, we should not be far short of the whole in saying, Two, namely, those which Christ spake, in the twenty second chapter of St. Matthew, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." And, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The obligation of the ten commandments in the Law is founded, among other motives, on this weighty one, "I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Redemption, this also is the foundation of our duty, in keeping the two great commandments of the Gospel; rein. and duty to God. 41 d...