sanctified and presented unto God for the things we need. Love natural being the fountain of natural desires; love sanctified must.consequently be the fountain of prayers, which are sanctified desires. "

2. Love is a special root of obedience; "Faith worketh by love." Love hath a constraining virtue, is as the sail to the ship, the wing to the bird, the spirits to the blood, the wheel to the chariot, that keeps all in motion. The more love, the more activity ever: the more we love the church, the more solicitous we shall be for her peace.

3. Love hath a very great interest in God, it is of and from him, and therefore it can find the way unto him. (1 John iv. 7, 16) As water which comes from the sea, runs to the sea, the Lord cannot but hear the voice of his own work in us. Every one that loves, is born of God; and a father's ear is open to a loving child. This is the foundation of prayer, that we can call God father. (Rom. viii. 15. Matth. vi. 9) Every one that loves, knows God. Other things are known by knowledge; but God is known by love. Come, taste, and see how gracious the Lord is. Experimental, comfortable knowledge of God we can have none, but in the face of Christ, in whom he is all love. When Moses desired to see God's glory, he answered him by causing his goodness to pass before him. (Exod. xxxiii. 18, 19) The more we love God, the more he reveals his goodness to us; which knowledge of him is the ground of our calling upon him. God is love; as things of nature move to each other, earth to earth, water to water; so love in us, moves to love in God. Now as if you bind a piece of wood to steel, the loadstone draws the wood for the sake of the steel to which it is joined so when our prayer is joined with love, it is thereby drawn up unto God, who is love. Love is the key of heaven. As love to the church made Esther's petition, so love to Esther made the King's answer: God will hold out the sceptre of his love to those prayers which proceed from love. Love of the brethren is an evidence of God's dwelling in us by his spirit, which is a spirit of love. (2 Tim. i. 7) And the Lord's ears are readily open to those prayers, which are made by the help of the spirit of love in us. (Rom.

■ Aquin. 12. qu. 25. art. 2. et 22. qu. 28. ar. 4.

• John xv. 15.

viii. 26. John iv. 24) Lastly, where there is love, there is confidence towards God; and confidence hath free access to the throne of grace. (Heb. iv. 16. 1 John iii. 21, 22)

4. Love hath an excellent virtue in it to season all duties; is as salt in the sacrifice; it makes the duty hearty; and God loves cheerfulness as well in praying, as in giving. It makes a man urgent and importunate, "quicquid agit, valde agit;" puts up strong cries. It is strong as death, which will take no denial; it keeps the mind intent upon prayer. Love turned Mary's thoughts from a mere civil entertaining of Christ, into desires of hearing him. Love stirs up faith to eye and fix on promises, "et quæ valde volumus, facile credimus." Love facilitates duty, and makes the heart constant in it. Ruth loved Naomi, and so went thorough with her. Weak things, by the strength of love, will venture on hard things: a hen will fly upon a dog, out of love to her chickens. One man with an engine, may move more than ten men with their own strength: love is an engine, makes the soul able to manage hard duties, to shoot a prayer as high as heaven. Lastly, love is full of arguments: no man will ever want something to plead in behalf of what he loves. All the strength of the mind and powers of nature wait upon love, to contrive and cast about for the good of the thing loved. How witty was the love of the woman of Canaan to her daughter, who could pick an argument out of a repulse, and turn that which seemed a reproach P, into a petition.

r

Love is that which commends every service to God,-the touchstone by which all our duties are to be tried. Martyrdom without love is nothing; (1 Cor. xiii. i. 3) truth without love is nothing; (2 Thess. ii. 10) prayer without love is nothing. Doeg was detained before the Lord; but his hatred to David brought a curse upon him for all his prayer. (1 Sam. xxi. 7) The Lord looks not to pretence but to truth, and will answer every man according to the love or to the idols of his own heart. (Ezek. xiv. 1—5). A man may pray for the church of God only out of self-love (as the

▸ Vid. Scull. observ. in Mat. c. 42. Et Stuckii Antiq. Conv. 1. 2. c. 5. • Quia jactatione fit, non dilectione: Aug. in Psalm 43. r Sic docet Deus, ut non tantum ostendat veritatem, verum etiam impertiat caritatem; Aug. de Grat. Christ. c. 13, 14.

Jews were to pray for Babylon, Jer. xxix. 7) because his own safety is involved in it; as the life of the ivy depends upon the standing of the oak : but true prayer for the church is that which is grounded upon love of the church itself; upon zeal for God's truth and worship, upon delight in his oracles and presence: because here only the means of salvation and the word of life is dispensed; because, in the distresses of the church, God's name is blasphemed, the blood and spirit of Christ is injured, the glory of the gospel is eclipsed, the enemies of God are comforted. "What wilt thou do," said Joshua, "to thy great name?" Nehemiah and Esther were great enough themselves; but the afflictions of the church made them mourn and pray.

And as no duties are acceptable unto God which do not proceed out of love, so no pretence of love is acceptable unto him, which doth not put forth itself into duty. This was the proof of David's love; "I love the Lord, I will call upon him." (Psalm cxvi. 1, 2) This the proof of Paul's love; "My heart's desire and prayer for Israel is, that they might be saved." (Rom. x. 1) When God is angry, we find Moses in the gap. (Psalm cvi. 23) When Israel flies, Joshua prays; when the plague is amongst the people, David is at the altar. (2 Sam. xxiv. 25) When enemies are in arms, Jehoshaphat and Asa are upon their knees; when Rabshekah is railing, Hezekiah is entreating the Lord. Here is the proof of love, it draws out the soul into all zealous endeavours for the peace of the church. Where there is no other ability, yet love will pray. And as Solomon saith of a poor wise man, we may say of a poor praying man, that he hath a great hand in delivering the city. (Eccles. ix. 15) The meanest Christian may pray for the peace of the church.

But I must apply my exhortation in the use of this doctrine unto those, who must do more than pray, who have hands, as well as knees; power, as well as prayer, to put forth to God. In how unsettled and discomposed a condition the church of God is yet amongst us, every man's eyes see, and (I think) every good man's heart doth sorrow to see, the holy ordinances of Christ by multitudes quite forsaken, the holy truth of Christ by many corrupted with the leaven of heresy and blasphemy; emissaries, walking up and down to draw away credulous and unstable souls into by-paths, to

S

Mul

follow every ignis fatuus' which doth mislead them. titudes of active and vigilant enemies, who know how to work under a disguise, and, by good words and fair speeches, to deceive the hearts of the simple. Multitudes of credulous, ductile, and unstaid spirits tossed up and down, and “carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight and cunning craftiness of men, who lie in wait to deceive." We see how fast these evil weeds have grown, what advantages the enemy hath taken in all places to sow his tares and lay his leaven; how greatly his hopes have been raised, and his attempts encouraged by the experience which he hath, of the lubricity and instability of the vulgar people amongst us. As it is said that the chief priests moved the people against Christ; (Mar. xv. 11) so the common enemy instils his poison into the people, to try if, by degrees, he can bring things into a flame and commotion, like that, Acts xix. ; and then have some crafty Demetrius in a readiness to cry up Diana. And you may observe how cunningly the scene is laid :—

1. Cry up a boundless and universal liberty for every man to teach, to publish, to insinuate into others whatsoever doctrines he please, be the tendency of them never so destructive to truth, peace, and godliness."

2. Cry down the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion, that so there may be no hedge to keep the wolves out.

3. Bring into contempt the faithful and able ministers of the gospel, as hirelings and seducers; that so whatever arguments they shall produce in defence of the truth, may be wholly enervated and blown over by the prejudice against their persons.

4. Decry learning, and the schools of the prophets, as things rather dangerous than subservient unto religion; that so there may be no smith in Israel, lest the Hebrews make them swords and spears. (1 Sam. xiii. 19)

5. Cry down the maintenance of the Ministry, that, when that is wholly taken away, no man may breed his child to a hungry, lean, starved profession: that so emissaries, who

Rom. xvi. 18.

Ephes. iv. 14.

gend. 1. 1. c. 5. sect. 81.-Melan, tom. 3. in Præf.

u Vid. Anton. Fab. de Relig. re

shall have an invisible maintenance from abroad, may have
the freer entertainment to spread their snares.

6. Put doctrines, which, in their own proper colours,
would not be swallowed, into a disguise; give them a periwig
(if I may so speak) and another name, that they may not be
known to be the thing which they are; that, in the dark and
under a veil, Leah may go for Rachel,-and, in a mantle, the
Devil may be Samuel.

I doubt not, but that your eyes are open to see the danger:
I beseech you, let your hearts be awakened to consider of ex-
pedients to prevent it.

That magistrates have a care and duty lie upon them to
look after the interest of the church of Christ, and to see
that that may be preserved from pernicious and destructive
evils; that the officers and members thereof do, in their
several stations, the several duties belonging unto them,
(though I doubt not but you are settled in so wholesome a
persuasion) give me leave, in three words, to demonstrate
unto you.

First, The Lord did expressly command, that idolaters,
and enticers to idolatry, blasphemers, presumptuous and pro-
fane despisers of God's law, should be punished. "He
that sacrificeth unto any God, save unto the Lord only, he
shall be utterly destroyed." (Exod. xxii. 20) "He that
blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall surely be put to
death; and all the congregation shall certainly stone him;
as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he
blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death."
(Lev. xxiv. 16) "The soul that doth aught presumptuously,
whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same re-
proacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from
among his people." (Num. xv. 30,31. See Deut. xiii. 5—16)
Now these punishments could not be dispensed, but by those
who did bear the sword; therefore they that bear the sword,
have a care upon them to preserve the church of God from
destructive evils.

Secondly, Princes are commanded to kiss the Son,'
whereby is noted their love, duty, care of him and his in-

× Aug. ep. 166. cont. ep. Parmen. 1. 1. c. 10. Cont. Crescon. Gram. l. 3. c. 51.
VOL. IV.

2 G