will, and in the book of life: they love him, because he put his Spirit, his nature, and his Father's image

into them.

(2.) Their love to him is grounded upon his Father's love to him, and satisfaction in him: "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And, O'but Christ be deservedly the object of the saints' love, because he is the object of the Father's love, who loves him, both as he is his Son, and as he is our Surety; and therefore as the sum of all.

(4.) Their love to him is grounded upon his love to them: "We love him, because he first loved us." This leads me to

III. The third general head, viz. The Influence that his love hath upon theirs as the cause of it. And here I would, 1. Clear and demonstrate it, that his loving us is the Cause of our loving him. 2. Inquire what Influence his love hath upon ours.

1. As to the first of these, to clear this point, we would offer the following considerations.

(1.) Consideration is, That a natural man, that looks upon God, can never have a heart-love to him, whatever he pretends. It is true, many fancy God loves them, and pretend they have a love to him, like some in the church at Ephesus, who said, they were apostles, and were not, but were found liars; so many pretend they know God, and love him, who yet in works deny him; and by their practice are found liars; and the vi sion of their heads is like to end in utter darkness. It is true also, that all that have a love to God, have not the full assurance of God's love to them: some may live under his frowns, who are yet in a state of favour: there may be some true love, where yet there is but little joyful assurance: yet, I say, these who have no faith at all of God's love in Christ, but look upon God as an implacable enemy, they can have no hearty love to him; nay, consciousness of guilt, and fear of wrath make them run away from God as an enemy: the spirit of slavish fear, which all awakened sinners are naturally possest of, till God shew them his love and favour

in Christ, will rather harden men in their enmity, than melt them into love. If there were nothing but the terror of the Lord to be known, conversion would be impossible.

(2.) Consideration is, That the greater the sense of God's love in Christ is, the stronger will our love to him be. Hence there are such different degrees of love to God among the saints, and even in the same saints, or believers, at several seasons, according as they have more or less of the comfortable apprehension of the love of God in Christ; for, although the love of God be not variable, yet our views and apprehensions of it are. Every believer hath his dark and gloomy days, as well as his bright and pleasant days; and the less sensible views he hath of God's love and favour, the more sensible deadness in duty, and decay of love to God takes place. When the believer wants the faith of God's love, his wings are clipt; but when his heart is fraughted with a large measure of the faith of God's love, then he mounts up on wings as an eagle: then the love of Christ constrains him: and his heart is enlarged to run the way of God's commandments.

(3.) Consideration, That the love of God discovered, breaks the power of all these things that hinder our love to him. Is self-love a snare to keep us from the love of God? Well, a display of God's love breaks the power of self-love. When Job got a discovery of the glory of God's grace, then he abhors himself. When we know that God is pacified towards us, it makes us loathe and abhor ourselves, Ezek. xvi. 63. A sinner is never so odious in his own sight, as when he is persuaded of his being precious in God's sight. Does the flattery of the world allure men from the love of God? Well, but the displays of God's love make the world to be crucified to us, and us to the world.-Christ's love discovered, obscures all the seeming glory of the world, as the sun darkens the lesser lights, and as the works of nature spoil the reputation of the works of art. Do the frowns of the world scare us from the love of God and his way? Well, but the display of God's love to us is a noble security against this temptation; for little

matter, who be against us, if God be for us; " His loving-kindness is better than life;" therefore, though the rage of men should reach our lives, yet what comparison is betwixt the breath of our nostrils, and the favour of an eternal God? We do not love God in Christ, because we do not know him; but when his love is displayed, then he is known in the light of the Spirit, "As a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ," the Spirit comes as a Spirit of light; and thus the love of God is shed abroad upon the heart by the Holy Ghost.

(4.) Consideration, When God displays his love, he at the same time transforms the soul to whom he discovers himself, and makes it a new creature. Now, the new nature is a grateful and loving nature; depraved nature may reward evil for good, and hatred for love; but it is not so with the new nature, it natively renders love for love; it is native to the soul upon the discovery of God's love, his everlasting love, to be constrained to his service and obedience; "If you love me, keep my commandments." Now, this love, that is the product of God's love, is virtually all obedience; and therefore love is said to be the fulfilling of the law; and when love takes place, his commandments are not grievous, but pleasant; yea, when the love of God is in the heart, then the law of God is in the heart.

But then,

2. To inquire more particularly what influence God's love hath upon ours: "We love him, because he first loved us:" our love is just the reflex of his, as the sun shining upon a glass. Why, how does his love to us influence our love to him? (1.) It hath a moral influence, in point of motive. (2.) A physical influence, in point of power.

(1.) It hath a moral influence, in point of motive; and so it is the moral cause of our love; the incentive, the argument. What will move us to love, if the display of this infinite love does it not? We cannot but love such a good God, who was first in the act and work of love; that loved us when we were both unloving and unlovely; that loved us at such a rate, as to seek and

solicit our love at the expence of his Son's blood. O amazing love! Is there any motive can be stronger to engage us to love him again? Shall not the love of Christ constrain us to love him again? What in all

the world will endear a soul to God, if the love of God do it not?So much as we see of the love of God, so much we love him, and delight in him, and no more. Every other discovery of God without this, will but make the soul to flee from him. If the faith and apprehension of his free love, of his ancient love, his antecedent love, his preventing love, such as I have spoken of, be no motive or argument to influence us to love him, there is no argument in the world will prevail.

2. It hath a physical influence, in point of power; and so it is not only the moral, but the productive cause. There is a power in his love that conquers, captivates, and overpowers the man, so that he cannot but love: God's love hath a generative power: our love is brought forth by his love, James i. 18. " Of his own will he begat us" that is, of his own free love and good-will. Divine love makes such an impression, that it instamps love upon the soul. As his love hath a generating power, so it hath a creating power; his love infuses and creates love in the person. Beloved, it works good in the man that is the object of it: his power and will are commensurate: what he wills, he works: and when the time of love or of manifesting love comes, the time of power comes: "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." His love hath a constraining power: "The love of Christ constrains us:" and his love hath a drawing power: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness will I draw thee." He draws with the cords of love, and thereby draws the heart towards him in love: and hence never a soul tasted the sweetness of his everlasting love, but at the same time he felt the power of it warming the heart, and kindling a fire of love there. O how does his mighty love break the power of their mighty enmity! Was ever pardoning mercy and love intimated, but the pardoned soul behoved to read the pardon with tears of joy; and to love much when much was forgiven? Can they chuse

but love him, "Who are the called according to his purpose of love?" Rom. viii. 28.-" We love him, because he first loved us."

IV. The fourth general head, was the application. Is it so, that God's love to his people is the source and cause of their love to him? Then we may apply it for information; and,

1. Hence see the difference betwixt God's love to the saints, and the saints' love to God. It is true, their loves agree in several things: his love to them is a love of complacency, he delights in them: and their love to him is a love of complacency, they delight in him: he loves them in Christ, and they love him in Christ; but yet vastly great is the difference betwixt his love and theirs. 1. His love is eternal, their love is but of yesterday's date. 2. His love is the original cause, their love is the native effect of his. 3. His love is an antecedent love, it goes before theirs, as the father loves the child, when the child knows not the fa ther, much less loves him; yea, they are by nature haters of God. And surely all must begin on his side; "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us:" yea, his love not only goes before our love, but before every thing that is lovely in us; "God. commends his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Sin imports all unloveliness and undesirableness that can be in a creature; yet he loves; but then our love is a consequential love. 4. His love being free and eternal, is always equal and unchangeable; for, "The Strength of Israel is not a man that he should repent;" but our love to him is unequal. and changeable, up and down: his love is like the sun, always the same in its light, though a cloud may sometimes interpose; our love is like the moon, hath its waxings and wanings: his love, I say, is like the sun, always the same in its light. It is true, as the sun is sometimes under a cloud; so the fruits and manifestations of God's love may change: now he shines, now he hides his face, as it may be most for our profit; but still his love in itself is the same. Whatever changes affect the saints, whether as to sin or sufferings, yet D

VOL. II.