Righteousness is love of God
This alone is religion, truly so called. This alone is, in the sight of God, of great price. The apostle sums it all up in three particulars: righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. And first, righteousness. We cannot be at a loss about this, if we remember the words of our Lord, describing the two grand branches of it, on which hang all the law and the prophets. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is the first and great commandment, the first and great branch of Christian righteousness. Mark 12:30.
You shall delight yourself in the Lord your God. You shall seek and find all happiness in him. He shall be your shield, and your exceeding great reward, in time and in eternity. All your bones shall say, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside you. You shall hear, and fulfill, his word who says, My son, give me your heart. And having given him your heart, your inmost soul, to reign there without a rival, you may well cry out, in the fullness of your heart, I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my strong rock and my defense: my Savior, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust; my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.
1771 text
7. This alone is religion, truly so call’d: this alone is in the sight of God of great price. The apostle sums it all up in three particulars, righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. And first, righteousness. We cannot be at a loss concerning this, if we remember the words of our Lord describing the two grand branches thereof, on which hang all the law and the prophets. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment, the first and great branch of Christian righteousness. Thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord thy God; thou shalt seek and find all happiness in him. He shall be thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward, in time and in eternity. All thy bones shall say, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee! Thou shalt hear, and fulfil his word who saith, My son, give me thy heart. And having given him thy heart, thy inmost soul, to reign there without a rival, thou mayest well cry out, in the fulness of thy heart, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my strong rock and my defence: my Saviour, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust; my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 7 in the 1771 Works. Mark 1:15.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.