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which is the method inftituted by Chrift for re- SER M. ftoring and reviving love to Go D in the fouls of IV. men. But though this is neceffary, yet we are alfo to know that, it is not sufficient; for all the preaching in the world cannot alone make the fenfual heart of man to love GOD. And there fore we proceed to infer further;

6. THAT fince men are so very unapt to love GOD, and for this reafon, because they see him not; there is great need of the communication and influence of that glorious and mighty fpirit of life to relieve him in this fad extremity and diftrefs. For furely it is a very diftreffed cafe, that man cannot love his own Maker, the author of his life and being, him in whom is his eternal hope, and all because he cannot fee him. It is a cafe that calls for a very great and powerful hand to redrefs; and no other hand is proportionable to the exigence thereof. Though he works by means, and even by that of the Gofpel-revelation, yet it doth not follow that the means will do the bufinefs alone; but the contrary follows, that becaufe they are means, therefore there must be an agent, and an efficient, to use them, and one proportionable to the work of forming and difpofing the fpirits of men towards GoD, that they may be capable of his love, and admit it into their hearts fo as to rule and govern there. And what can do this but the spirit of GOD? What elfe is it that can awaken and rouze the dull, fluggish, drowsy fpirits of men? What elfe, I fay, can quicken, pu

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VOL. rify, and refine fpirits loft in pleasure and fenfe? The way of bringing any foul to love God, is to give it the spirit of love. There is no other way of doing it. Now the Apostle fays, that GOD bath given to us not the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a found mind. One and the same spirit is all these at once. And till that fpirit is given us, there is nothing but enmity and difaffection towards GOD; there is nothing but feeblenefs and impotence, as to any thing that is good; there is nothing but diftemperature and difeafedness in man, which have pierced him to the very heart. This spirit therefore, in reference to thefe feveral exigencies, is a fpirit of love, of power, and of a found mind. That same spirit that makes the foul capable now of doing things that require power; that fame spirit that rectifies the mind, and heals it of those distempers under which it was waiting and con-fuming before, is a SPIRIT OF LOVE. It is faid to be a spirit given, a fpirit fuperadded to our own, a spirit that we had not before. Indeed it must be fome other fpirit than ours, which must render us capable of loving GOD.

You know, that the Apostle recounting the feveral fruits of the spirit, (as he had done those of the flesh before) fets this of love in the front of them. The fruit of the fpirit is love, joy, &c. And after telling us, that eye bath not feen, nor ear beard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for

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them that love him; he tells us alfo of a fpirit SERM. different from that of the world, the spirit which IV. is of GOD, which fuch as they had received. We have received, fays he, not the Spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of GOD. And in this fame chapter, wherein is our text, you have the Apostle John fpeaking to this very cafe, to wit, the impoffibility of our feeing GOD: No man bath feen GOD at any time. If we love one another, GOD dwelleth in us, and his love is perfelted in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in bim and be in us, because he hath given us of his fpirit. Love to one another as Chriftians or faints, is also a fruit of that fame bleffed fpirit. And if there be fuch a principle of love within us, it plainly speaks that God dwells in us, and we in him, and that he hath planted his own love in our fouls, which is perfecting there. It is manifeft now that he hath taken poffeffion of us, and drawn us into union with himself, fo as to become the great fountain of that principle of love in us, whereby we are capable of loving him, and loving fuch as are his for his fake.

AND because the act of the heart in loving supposes fome foregoing act of the mind by which the object is perceived to be lovely, therefore this fame spirit is elfewhere called a spirit of wif dom, and revelation, in the knowledge of him, whom we are to love. The Apostle is there praying earnestly on behalf of the Ephefians, that

CI Cor. 11. 9:
Ephef. 1. 17.

d Ver. 12. • John IV. 12, 13.

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VOL. that this fpirit might be given them, by which they might be capable of knowing, and knowing practically, as the word* fignifies, and of coming into union with that bleffed one that is known. And on this union love hath a great influence. St. John fays, We know the son of GOD is come, and bath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his fon Jefus Chrift. This is the true GoD and eternal life. The understanding here spoken of is faid to be given, by which we fo come to know GoD in Chrift, as to be brought into union with him by love; it is, I fay, a given thing, men have it not of themfelves.

IT is very requifite, and therefore I fo long infift upon it, that we understand how neceffary it is, that there be another and a better spirit than our own, to render us capable of loving GoD whom we have not feen; for otherwife we shall never love beyond the fight of our own eye. And it is very strange, that this neceffity, fince the case speaks it felf, and the holy scriptures fo often declare it, fhould be no more understood. If there be no fuch neceffity, what is the reason we are taught to pray for the spirit", as starving children do for bread? That we are bid to live in the fpirit', to walk in the spirit, and by the fpirit to mortify the deeds of the flesh1? And are we not told, that we must be born of the spirit,

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* ἐπίγνωσις:
riyor 1 John v. 20. Math. vII. 9, 10, 11¿
Gal. v. 25.
Rom. vIII. I. 1 Ver. 13.

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or elfe we shall never enter into the kingdom of SER M. GOD? All this is plain language one would think, and easy enough to be understood by those that have a mind to it. But it is very obfervable, that thofe notions which tend to make as little as poffible of the depravity and corruption of man's nature, to magnify beyond measure the power of man in his fallen ftate, to depress preaching, and to make light of the operations of the Holy Ghoft upon the minds of men, are all of a fort, all of a piece. These are notions that hang upon one thread, and when we fee wherein they iffue and terminate, we may easily discern the danger of them; and into how great hazard they bring the eternal concerns of the fouls of thofe men, who fuffer themselves to be tainted with them. We again farther infer,

7. THAT the work of regeneration must needs stand in very great part in the implanting and seating in the fouls of men fuch principles, as may directly tend to controul the dictates of fenfe, and in oppofition to it rule and govern in men. The infirmity and distemper of man's nature eafily fhews, wherein this cure and renovation muft confift. This is at present the great dif-" temper of his foul, it cannot love but where it can fee. It is the fight of the eye that carries the heart, and draweth it this way and that way. A most dreadful diftemper this! But as we know the distemper, we know wherein the cure must confift. Regeneration is that which reftores the

John 13.

man.

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