tive wrath, which is the threatning and fentence of the law as a covenant of works? And, how can the believer that is obliged to believe this love, be ever obliged to ferve from a fear of hell and vindictive wrath? That he may, through unbelief, apprehend God's vindictive wrath, and fear to be thrown into hell, is plain from common experience; but that the fear of hell fhould be either a gofpel-grace, or a believer's duty, is fome of the new divinity of our day. Filial child-like fear, which is the believer's duty at all times, is every way confiftent with love, yea, fuppofes and imports the faith of God's fatherly love; but flavish fear of hell, and vindictive wrath, excludes and opposes it. See the context, verfe 18. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love cafteth out (flavish and tormenting) fear."

5. Hence we may fee, the difference betwixt the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. The order of the covenant of works is, in fome respect, quite crofs to the order here fet down in our text; for, in the covenant of works, our love of duty was first to take place, and after that, God's love of bounty, as the reward of our perfect love and obedience, according to the old covenant paction; whereas, in the covenant of grace, God fhews firft his love of bounty, and then follows our love of duty. Never does the foul turn his affections towards God, if the heart of God be not firft fet upon him. Herein differ works in the new covenant (for love, as I faid before, is the fum of all work and obedience) from works in the old covenant. In the legal covenant, our love and work is first, and then God's favour and justification; but in the gospel-covenant, God's love and favour in juftification is first, and then our love and obedience follows. As the fame day that the waters went off from the earth, and were gathered into the fea, the earth was adorned with grafs and flowers, and was fruitful; fo when the deluge of wrath goes off from the confcience, and the favour of God appears in juftification, then it is prefently adorned with the graces of the Spirit, and love among the chief of them, fpring

fpringing up whatever other motives engages to obedience here, yet love is the most prevalent motive; and here gratitude influences to obedience. In a word, the covenant of works was properly conditional to us, but the covenant of grace, however conditional to Chrift, who hath performed the whole condition, in his obedience to the death, yet to us it is abfolutely free, and unconditional. Upon what condition have we God's love and favour? Does not his love prevent all conditions?" He firft loved us :" His love prevents the true proper condition itself, namely, Chrift's obedience; for his love fent him to perform the fame; much more does it prevent all that men call conditions. O! how far is our obedience, even the obedience of faith, from having any cafuality, or proper federal conditionality in obtaining falvation, feeing our imperfect love and obedience here is not the caufe, but the effect of God's love and favour partly difplayed, and our perfect love and obedience in heaven will be the effect of the full vifion of his glorious grace in heaven, where we shall be like him, becaufe we fhall fee him as he is!

6. Hence we may fee the blafphemy of these who fay, they are believers in Christ, and yet are not lovers of God; and who pretend to believe the grace of God, and yet turn his grace to lafciviousness, by continuing in enmity against him, and discover their enmity by their ungodly practices; the grace of God, that brings falvation, teaches us quite the contrary; what the law teaches preceptively, the gofpel teaches effectively, viz. To deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly," Titus ii. 11, 12. She is not the spouse of Chrift, but an adulterefs, that impudently abuses his love. They can have no true evidence of God's love to them, who have no love to him; for our love to him is the native refult of his love to us; "We love him, because he first loved us." The love of God discovered, knocks down the natural enmity, which is the root of all difobedience; and influences to love, which is the fum of all obedience.

7. See hence the eminent privilege of the faints, whatever low thoughts the world may have of them. It is an honour to ftand in the prefence of princes, tho' but as fervants; what honour then have all the faints, to ftand with boldnefs in the prefence of God, and enjoy his bofom-love? The queen of Sheba pronounced a bleffing on the fervants of Solomon, who flood before him and heard his wifdom; how much more blessed are they who stand continually before the God of Solomon, hearing his wisdom and enjoying his love? As they are happy, fo they are fafe. Here is a fafe and sweet retreat to the faints in all the trials, reproaches, and mifreprefentations they undergo in the world. When a child is abused in the street by ftrangers, he runs with speed to the bofom of his father; there he makes his complaint, and is comforted. In all the hard cenfures and tongue-perfecutions which the faints meet withal in the ftreets of the world, they may run to their Father, and be comforted; his love can counter-balance all the world's frowns. O! how are they privileged beyond all the hypocritical world! Hypocrites, for the most part, cannot be known or differenced from faints, in regard of their external duty and enjoyment; but while they are living in the love of their lufts, the faints are fweetly wrapt up in the bofom of God's love; they have this meat to eat, and refreshment in the banquetting-houfe, wherein others have no fhare.

8. Hence fee where it is we may get our enmity killed, and our love quickened; it is even in the love of God. What is the reason that the world have no love to God? Why, they cannot believe his love and good-will through Chrift; and fo they live in enmity. What is the reafon that believers have fo little love to God? Even because their faith of his love is fo weak. It is by faith we know that God is in Chrift reconciling the world to himself; it is by faith we fee the King in his beauty, and fo cannot but love him; it is by faith that we hear his voice, and understand his words of grace, and fay," It is the voice of my Beloved :" it is by faith we embrace the promises, which are fo many mes

fages

fages of his love it is by faith we receive out of Chrift's fulness, and grace for grace; or, as the word may be rendered, "Love for love." Faith breaks the shell of the promise, and then eats the kernel of God's love and grace that is there. Faith is the bucket wherewith we draw, Chrift is the well; God is the fountain, and love is the water that we draw: O! what get you in Christ, poor foul, whenever you go to him? Can you not fay, O, I get more love to God than I had! I never approached near him but I got a large draught and ample fill of love to God; "Out of his fulnefs, we receive grace for grace," and love for love. In a word, by faith we behold the glory of the Lord as in a glass, and are changed into the fame image; and the image of God is love. O then, the little faith that takes. place in our day, makes little love to God and his people; faith and love are like twins that are born together, and live and die together. Go to the root of all our backflidings, and you will find it unbelief; an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

How

USE of Examination. Try your state by this doctrine, whether or not you be in a state of favour with God, and the objects of his love in a special manner. fhall I know, if he hath loved me? You may know it by that fruit and evidence of it in the text: if he hath manifefted his love favingly to you, then you will love him, becaufe he hath loved you.

QUEST. HOW fhall I know, if I have that love to him, that is the fruit and effect of his first loving me?

ANSW. Ift. If your love to him be fuch as is the fruit of his love to you, then you have been convinced of your natural enmity, and that you never had any love, nor could have it, unlefs the Lord in love had, in fome measure, manifefted himself in his grace. Many speak of their loving God all their days, as if it were natural for them to love God; poor creatures, they never faw or confidered, that they were born with a dagger of enmity in their hearts against God. These that truly love him have feen their want of love, and fomething of the power and strength of their en

mity; and got it, in fome meafure, broken in a day

of power.

2dly, If you have fuch love to him, as is the fruit of his love to you, then you have feen his glory, and particularly the glory of his grace, and love to draw out your love towards him: "Shew me thy glory," fays Mofes to God: Yea, fays God, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee." His goodness and his love is his glory. If you have feen his glory, furely you count all things but lofs and dung, in comparison of him.

3dly, If you have fuch love, as is the fruit of his love, then his lovelinefs and excellency hath engaged you to chufe him; to chufe himself, for your God; his Chrift, for your husband; his covenant, for your charter; his precepts, for your rule; his people, for your companions; his purchase, for your jointure; his Spirit, for your guide; his promife, for your cordial; his glory, for your aim. If you have chofen him thus, and refolve to abide by your choice, it is a fruit of his chufing you from eternity: "You have not chofen me [firft], but I have chofen you."

4thly, If you have fuch love to him, as is the fruit of his loving you, then it is the faith of his love, that, in a special manner, will influence you to obedience, in all the duties of religion; "If you love me, keep my commandments :" Yea, the faith of his love will influence you to fuch a love to him, as will bring forth all the fruits of true love. And here I will tell you of fome of the fruits of true love to God, by which you' may try your love to him.

1. One fruit of true love is this; true love will make you love to be with him on earth, and long to be with him in heaven.

(1.) On the one hand, true love will make you love to be with him on earth; and this love will make you rejoice when he is prefent, faying, "O! my foul fhall rejoice in God my Saviour:" And it will make you lament when he is abfent, faying, "O! that I knew where I might find him!" You will love to be with him in your defire, faying, He is the defire of all nations, and the defire of my foul. You will love to be with him in

your