SERMON X.

Preached October 5, 1676.

I JOHN IV. 20.

He that loveth not his Brother, whom he bath feen; how can he love God, whom be bath not feen?

S

INCE it is neceffary, that our not seeing GOD fhould be fo fupplied, as that we may be capable of loving him, notwithftanding; I now proceed to give fome directions, which I hope will be of ufe to us in this great and important matter. As,

1. LET us fix the apprehenfion deep in our fouls, of his certain neceffary existence, and fupreme excellence. Our fight doth not ferve us to the loving of any thing, otherwise than as it is a means to beget an apprehenfion in our minds of the loveliness of it. Sight is in no cafe the immediate inducement of love, but only as it is minifterial and fubfervient to the nobler powers of the mind. And if by any other means than by feeing, we can come to apprehend so much concerning the bleffed Go D, to wit his moft neceffary existence, and fupreme excellency, we hall not be at a lofs then for an apt medium,

by

VOL. by which our love is to be excited in us towards

THESE two things are the fame in effect with those that the Apostle tells us we ought to be affured of, in order to our coming to GoD with acceptance, namely, That he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him. We may easily understand how he is a rewarder, if we compare this paffage with what is faid to Abraham, I am thy exceeding great reward. GOD (is at once both a rewarder, and a reward to those whofe hearts are towards him. He is a rewarder by communicating himself, and not by giving rewards alien and diverfe from himself. And it is neceffary that we be affured, that he both is, and that he is in this fenfe a rewarder, as being in himself the highest excellency, or the supreme and beft good. For without a perfuafion concerning both thefe, it is intimated, that we cannot come unto him in an acceptable manner.

Now loving him is one way of coming to him. It is that by which the foul moveth to him in defire, and then rests in him in delight. There can be no fuch motion in the foul towards GoD, without this double perfuafion concerning him; namely, of his certain existence, and highest excellency, as our terminative good. And you have heard that we may be as fure of both these, as of any thing that we fee with our eyes. For if our eyes tell us, that any thing is in being, our minds tell us as certainly, that there is an original

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ginal Being. And if we can be any way fure, SER M. that there is such a thing as goodness, and excellency in the world; we may be as fure, that there is an original excellency, an original good, which must needs be the fupreme good, and can be no where, but in the original fupreme Being. For goodness and excellency are not nothing, and therefore cannot come out of nothing, but muft proceed from the fame fountain, from whence all being comes. We are not more fure of any thing that our eyes inform us of, than we shall be of this, if we do but confider, and use our understanding in the case.

So that we should endeavour once to fix the apprehenfion of these things, as being most certainly true; and from our very fouls should bless GOD, that we are at a certainty in these things; that we do not feel the ground loose under us, but are in this refpect on firm ground, when we affirm that GOD moft neceffarily is, and is the highest and most excellent good. And being once fure of this, it would be very unreasonable to be recalling this matter into doubt, or to be perpetually moving questions and disputes concerning it in our minds. It is what we may be as fure of, as that there is a world in being, or that any thing is, that we our felves are, who being nearest to our felves, may be surest of our own being.

AND it would make strange confused work in the world, if in reference to all the actions of man, they should be ever moving disputes about

them,

I.

VOL. them, whether they really are or are not. Aś if a man could not tell how to eat, but he must fall a doubting presently, "Is this real food be"fore me, or is it not? or am I awake to eat "it, yea or no?" Or as if he could not tell how to converse with any one, about never fo important a business, but he must fall a disputing, "Is this a real man, or but a fpectre? may it "not be only the umbra of a man?" In fhorts what could be done, what business transacted in the world, if about fuch plain matters doubts must be perpetually raised?

EVERY man that hath understanding, as hath been faid, may be at as great certainty concerning the existence of the fupreme and first Being, as of any thing whatever. Nay, a great deal more, because his existence is fupremely neceffary. So that if I confine certainty to the eye, then I am fure of nothing but what I fee. But I am certain that God always was of himfelf, and therefore is neceffarily; and fo, not to be, muft to him be fimply impoffible. This, therefore would be one great fupply to our not feeing him, once to make the matter plain and clear, that he exifts, and that he is the most excellent and fupreme good. Which would be a great deal in our way, towards the exercife of love to God, though we do not fee him.

2. IT will concern us much to use our thoughts in being converfant with other invisible objects. For certainly minds and hearts that are continually bufied about things of fenfe only, will be but

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in a very defective capacity, at all times, to con- SER M. verse with the invifible GOD. It needs a very refined temper of mind to behold him with the intellectual eye, and thereupon to love and embrace the bleffed glorious GoD. And as while we converfe with things that are vain, our minds are vain; while with things that are earthly, our minds are earthly, and bear the impress and image of those things with which we have most to do; fo, if we did but converse with spiritual things, or those which are above the reach of fense, it would be a means to make our minds and hearts grow more fpiritual, and confequently more fit for the love, and converfe of the eternal, fupreme, invisible spirit.

IT is a mean bafe thing, fince God hath fúrnished our natures with a thinking power, to use our thoughts only about those things that lie in common to us with brute creatures. "Can I, "have I a power to mind higher and nobler "objects, and will I fo vilely debase my self as "not to mind them! to mind only things that

are earthy, droffy, and terrene! By this means "I fhall always keep my felf in an incapacity "to have to do with GOD."

WE should therefore confider with our felves, that as we have faculties by which we are rendered capable of converfing with men and visible things; fo we have faculties too in our natures, whereby we are capable of converfing with things that are not visible, and that are of an higher nature. It is eafy to turn all the things of this visible