X.

8. AND laftly, let us pray much, and earnest- SER M.ly for the spirit of life and love, which is his own gift. Among the many excellent fruits of the fpirit you fee love leads the van. It is of confiderable moment to ftate the cafe to our felves thus; "The love of GoD is one of the fruits "of his own fpirit." How intent then should we be upon this, that he who claims to be the object of our love, is pleased to be the author of it? even of that pure, refined love, that is fit to be fet upon fo glorious an object. Whereas fuch a carnalized, impure, droffy love as ours, can never turn it felf unto God; will always decline, and fhun that bleffed object. He muft form our love for himself, or it will never do.

As he therefore makes our love the fum of his law, and of all his precepts, fo we should make it the fum of all our requests. For it is at once indeed both our privilege, and our duty. Both what we are to do, and what we are to enjoy, are all fummed up in love. And if we make this the fum of our defires, how much of ingenuity would there be in this prayer, when we come to the Lord, and fay, "LORD if I fhould "caft all my defires into one requeft, it is Love! "Love is the only thing. I beg only an heart>

to love thee." How much ingenuity is there, I fay, in fuch a prayer? and how great alfo is the neceffity of it? For we can as foon pluck down a ftar, or create a new fun, as plant in our own fouls this principle of love to Go D, without his

aid.

Gal. v. 27.

I.

VOL.aid. Every good and perfect gift is from him; and certainly this is good, and a matter of high excellency, to have the heart poffeffed with his love. We can never understand the love of GOD to us, till our fouls are as it were transelemented into a love to him. GOD is love, and be that dwelleth in love dwelleth in GOD and GOD in him d

AND now, after all this would we be excufed from the duty of loving GOD? that is, from being happy, from living a life of pleasure, from folacing our felves with the immenfe good? We fhould methinks as little wifh to be excufed, as a poor indigent man from having all his wants supplied; or a fick languishing perfon, from returning to health and strength; or an hungry fainting perfon, from receiving convenient food; or a weary perfon, from receiving refreshing eafe and reft. Would we be excufed from having God for our portion, our health and strength, our reft and all in all? We cannot indeed fee GOD; but will that excufe us, when fo many things prefent us with an idea and image of him? or when we have the privilege of addreffing our felves to him by prayer? The Scriptures do not fpeak to us in this matter with any defign to excufe us from this duty. There it is intimated, that all the good, which concerns a man's present state, comes from love to GOD. All, fays the Apostle, fhall work together for good to them, that love GOD. And with refp. &

intention or

X.

to the other world, it is faid, that Eye bath SER MI not feen, nor ear heard, neither bath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, what GOD bath laid up for them that love bim f.

AND if we would but confider the matter, it is plain we cannot excufe our conduct, to our felves; much lefs to GOD. For do not our confciences tell us, that nothing is fo eafy, nothing fo ready? And it is likewife to be confidered, what will be made of this one day. I make little doubt but one very great part of the torture of hell, will lie in a too late repentance; that we never loved what our convicted confciences muft needs have told us was moft congruous, and fit to be loved. When an awakened foul fhall make reflection, and confider, what infinite reafon there was for the loving of GOD, and yet it could never be brought to it; we can conceive no fort of mental torture to be more tormenting than this. So that they, who live deftitute of the love of GoD, and content themselves with fo doing, are bufily preparing their own hell all their days. Oh how tormenting will be the reflexion! "I lived a life's "time in the world, and knew how reasonable

a thing it was, how juft and righteous to love "GOD, and yet I never did love him!" This will be a moft amazing fubject for thought to feed upon, and to find torment by, throughout an eternal state. And therefore we are the

VOL. more concerned to be restlefs in our fpirits, I. till we feel the fire fo to burn within us, and

can make our appeal to Go D, faying, Thou knoweft all things, Lord! thou knoweft that I love thee .

• John xx. 17.

SERM.

SERMON XI.

Preached November 1, 1676.

I JOHN IV. 20.

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

W

E have endeavoured from thefe words to evince to you the indifpenfible obligation there is upon us to the continued exercise of love to Go D, notwithstanding that we cannot fee him. This hath been doctrinally difcourfed of, and alfo infifted upon by way of ufe, and particular application of that doctrine; but before we pass from it, it will be requifite to add fomewhat farther of a cafuiftical import.

It is very plain, that though there are not many fincere lovers of GoD, in this world; yet there are but few, who pretend not to be fo. They are apt to please themselves with the conceit that they love Go D, and fo take the matter for granted, though there be nothing of any fuch affection in their hearts at all. Others there are, who are apt to fufpect that they do not love him in fincerity, and are too forward to conclude, N 2 that