(2.) As there is a love of defire, fo of delight and complacency, whereby they take up their reft and fatif faction in him, faying, "Tho' the fig-tree fhould not bloffom, nor fruit fhould be found in the vine, &c.; yet will I rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my falvation." Indeed, they that have found faving defires after the Lord, are unfatisfied till their defire be turned to delight, and till they attain this, "Whom having not feen we love; in whom, tho' now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unfpeakable, and full of glory." When the Lord manifefts himself to them, as reconciled in Chrift, when he manifefts his love to their fouls, and opens the flood-gates of his Spirit's influences, O then they cannot but delight in him, and be fatisfied as with marrow and fatnefs; for then they have a feaft of fat things, and of wines on the lees, well refined. O fenfualifts, that never had a more pleafant hour all your days, than when you fat down to a hearty meal of meat or drink, you are but a miferable creature; there is meat to eat that you know not of, and joy that you intermeddle not with. O the joy and triumph that there is in the enjoyment of a God in Chrift; "Thanks be to God, which always causes us to triumph in Chrift;" ALWAYS CAUSES TO TRIUMPH! It is true, the fouls of believers may fometimes wander from the Lord, even after they have experienced this enjoyment; and never more readily than on the back of a sweet communion: their defires may wander after other things; they may fall asleep; they are not yet perfect, nor delivered from a body of death; and therefore after that, they may come under doubts, and great fears; and these may bring them very low, and may much alienate their hearts from the Lord; yea, but they are as the needle in the compass, that can never reft or fettle till it comes to the right point. They can never rest till they get into his bofom again: they find their cafe a wilderness-cafe, wherein they are wandering from mountain to hill, and therefore they fay, "Return unto thy reft, O my foul:" they are made again to return to him, and take more delight in him than ever; and, by delighting in him get an earnestpenny of heaven. (3) There is a love of benevolence and good-will towards Chrift, and his intereft in the world, that all his concerns in the world may go right, and that no weapon formed against Zion may profper. By this love, all these things, whereby God makes himfelf known, his word, his ordinances, his people, his precepts, his truths, are precious. And to this we may join, (4.) The love of beneficence, whereby they do all they can for the honour of Chrift, the good of his church, the credit of his truths, and for bearing down every intereft oppofite to his.-But these things may perhaps fall under another head. 4. We may confider this love in the dimenfions of it: as God's love towards his people hath height, and depth, and length, and breadth, fo there is fomething like dimenfions of that fort in their love to him. (1.) Their love is a high love, it hath a height; it is a tranfcendent love; they love him above all things; they love him more than father or mother, fifter or brother, profit or pleafure, credit or preferment; yea, doubtlefs, they count all things but lofs and dung in comparison of him. The language of their foul is, None but Chrift: in all things he hath the pre-eminence. (2.) Their love hath a depth; for it is rooted in the heart, and does not float in the fancy. The love of many is but like a thaw, that will fometimes be on the face of the ground, by the heat of the fun, while there is a hard froft below in the earth; fo their love is but fuperficial, upon the furface of the foul; there is fome thaw, but the heart is hard; true love hath a deep root. (3.) Their love hath a breadth: they not only love his mercy and grace, but his faithfulness, juftice, and holinefs: they love not only his covenant-promises, but his kindly threatnings; not only his favourable providences, but also his fatherly chaftifements: they love every thing that hath any thing of God in it; his people, because they are his image; his ordinances, because they are his galleries; they love the place where where his honour dwells; and every thing that hath a divine ftamp and fuperfcription. (4.) Their love hath a length in it, as well as a heighth, and depth, and breadth. It is not like the hope of the hypocrite that perifheth. Their hope and love, who are hypocrites, is built upon an airy fancy and empty imagination; it is built upon fand, and fo it falls to the ground; but the believer's love is built upon the faith of the promife, and the faith of the love of God; it is built upon the rock of ages, and fo the building ftands. Some will have a love to a thing to-day, and quit it to-morrow; but love to Chrift will never go quite out. It is true, their love is not always exercifed, or always equal in its exercise; for fometimes it is like a coal below the afhes, yet all the power of hell cannot quench it; for many waters cannot quench love: it may be over-toped with the weeds. of corruption, and out of view; for the flesh lufteth against the Spirit; and the flesh may be strong, and the Spirit or grace weak, but ftill the root remains, and fhall grow up to perfection. 5. We may confider this love in the properties of it. Some of them have been touched in the preceeding heads, therefore, in fhort, (1.) True love to God in Chrift is a free and voluntary love. Some people force themselves up, as it were, to an esteem for Chrift, by ufing manifold ar guments; and after all, it is but imaginary and mercenary love: they are not under the constraint of gofpel-grace, but the conftraint of legal hope; expecting fome reward for their love and fervice: but here the perfon loves the Lord for himself, and ferves him without legal compulfion or co-action; or by legal fears of hell, or legal hope of heaven. As he loves them freely, in oppofition to merit, fo they love him freely, in oppofition to legal compulfion. (2.) True love is a fincere love; "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jefus Christ in fincerity." It is a loving the Lord with all the heart, foul, mind and ftrength; it is hearty, and hath its abode in the inner chambers of the heart. It does not ly in the tongue or or lip, or the outward profeffion only, but in the heart, and affection, and foul of man. (3) True love is an ardent love: it is compared to fire that hath a moft vehement flame: it is like fire for light; it is the difcovery of Chrift that makes the foul to love him, and it makes the man's light to fhine before men, so as his heavenly Father is glorified. It is like fire for heat; it heats the breaft, and warms the affections, and flames towards Chrift when he is feen. It is like the fire for its confuming quality; it confumes lufts and corruptions: Many waters cannot quench it; no water of fin, of affliction, or defertion, or temptation. (4.) True love is active love; it makes the foul to act for God, and for Chrift, faying, O what shall I do for him? "What fhall I render to the Lord for all his benefits?" It conftrains to fervices and fufferings for Chrift. (5.) True love is an uniting love: it carries out the foul towards union and communion with God in Chrift; he affects communion with him in his thoughts and meditations; " My meditation of him fhall be fweet." Communion with him in his ordinances, communion with him in his grace, and communion with him in glory. (6.) True love is a folicitous and careful love: it is careful to avoid whatever is offending to God, careful to provide whatever is pleafing to him; careful and folicitous left it fhould lofe his company; careful and folicitous to recover a fight of him when he abfents himself. (7.) True love' is a bold and venturing love; it will adventure upon reproaches, perfecutions, dangers, difficulties, yea, and death itfelf, for the fake of the Lord Jefus. When there are greateft difficulties, true love will cleave moft to Chrift: when there is a general apoflacy, true love will appear moft for Chrift, as the two witneffes, Rev. xi. 3. When men make breaches upon the truth of God, the true lover of Chrift will caft himself into the breach, as Pergamus did, Rev. ii. 13. In a word, when love cannot stand in the breach, it will mourn for the dishonour done to Christ, and weep in fecret places for it. All these proceed from the invincible valour of love. 8. True love is a perfevering love: when faith and hope, in fome refpect, will carry us no further than the grave, love will go over the border of time, and remain in heaven for ever. (9.) True love is a conjugal love, a marriage love: and as conjugal love is a loyal love; fo is true love to Chrift: It calls Jefus LORD and KING: "He is thy Lord and worship thou him," Psal. xlv. II. As conjugal love is a chafte love; fo true love to Christ cannot endure a rival: it allows no mate, no luft, no Delilah, to come in Chrift's room, without the utmost abhorrence. As conjugal love is a reverential love; fo true love to Chrift carries towards him with holy fear and reverence, and filial regard. And as conjugal love is a fruitful and fruit-bearing love; fo true love to Christ, is a love that bears fruit to him; "Ye are dead to the law by the body of Christ, and married to another, even to Chrift, that ye might bring forth fruit unto God.”— Again, (10.) True love is an affimilating love; it changes the person in whom it is, into the image of the glorious and beloved object, and makes him defire, above all things, to be like unto Chrift; faying, O to be holy ! O to be free of fin! O to be full of God! O to be conform to the image of Christ! yea, the more love, the more likeness. (11.) In a word, fometimes it is an extatical love,' as if the man were befide himfelf, and out of himself: hence that proverb, Amantes, Amantes; like that of the apostle, "If we be beside ourselves, it is to God," 2 Cor. v. 13. It carries the foul out of itself, faying with the church," The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh;" it is an abrupt kind of speech, like that of a perfon transported, ravifhed, and in a rapture: "The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh:" fometimes there is a ray of glory, a bright glance of the Sun of righteousness. 6. We may confider this love in the effects of it. |