There is a Love of dependance, when wee love him on whom we depend; and thus we love God, when wee looke upon him, as on whom all our good depends: fo that we love him more than our felvs, because our good depends upon him,more than on our felves.

of Love.

I

Wee will adde the qualities of Love, there is a naturall Love, planted in us by nature: as the The qualities of parents to their children, of one man to another: this love is indifférent, not good in it felfe good no otherwife, than directed on a good object.

There is a finfull Love, arifing from finfull habits, which feeke things convenient to it. As no. thing is better than love on a right object, fo nothing worse than love on a wrong object. As na turall Love puts us in the condition men: fo this finfull Love makes men worse than beasts, andequals them with the Divell.

There is a fpirituall Love, arifing out of holy qualities, which feekes an object agreeable to it. And this makes a man above a man, and in fome fort equall with the Angels. Men are as they love. GOD judges us by our affections, wee are judged by what we love. He that loves wickedneffe,is truly a wicked man; he that loves holineffe, is truely holy. This foundation that wee have laid,though it may feeme fomewhat remote, yet ye fhall find it of ufe to hold up this building, before wee have done with the point.

2

3

2

The fecond thing that wee have to declare, is, What this love of the Lord Iefus is. Now the What this love best way to fhew what this is, is to fhew how it

of the Lord Iefus is.

is wrought now for the working of it,there must be two Antecedent things which must make way for it, and they are Humiliation and Faith: for every one beleeves not this to bee needfull; and if they doe beleeve it, yet they may bee appofite to it, because it is not agreeable to their nature, That a man must be broken fo, and moulded again, before hee can have this love which is wrought by Humiliation and Faith. And they are wrought on this manner, when we preach the Gofpell, and offer Iefus Chrift unto you for the duty of a Minifter, is nothing but this, to offer Iefus Chrift himfelfe unto the world. Tous a Child is borne, To us a Sonne is given: for, unto you is barne a Saviour, that is, Chrift the Lord. This is the fumme of the Gofpell; this is the newes which we bring : God hath givenus his Sonne; wee offer you not forgiveneffe of finne,But the Lord Iefus. And when he hath given us him, will hee not with him give us all things alfo? Chrift must first bee given, and when you have him, you fhall have all in him 2 Cor. 1. 20. are the promises, yea and Amen. First have Chrift,

Bla. 9. Luke

John 3.16.

Rom. 8,

2 Cor. 5.

and then the promifes belong unto you, not before. The Gospell is nothing but this, we are to manifeft, that God the Father is willing to give you his Sonne. We are his Spokefmen, to befeech you to take him, that you would take him as your husband, to be ruled by him: none, before you are humbled, can marry you to Chrift. You must bee divorced from all other things, and beleeve that Chrift will take you; and this is Faith, the other Humiliation. And then when you can receive him, you will love him. Now when we preach

preach thus unto the world, what anfwere doe wee finde? Why, there are fome that will not beleeve that there is fuch a Lord: and then our worke is to perfwade, that Chrift is fuch a Lord 3 and this was the Apoftles worke, and theirs at the beginning. But when wee intreat you to take Chrift for your Lord, your answer is, as theirs who were invited to the feaft. This, and this excufe they have to hinder them, to beleeve, that a Chrift is propounded, and men regard him hot, they will not looke after him. Now, that Chrift may be received, there is required Humiliation and Faith: Humiliation opens their eyes, by the Law, and fpirit of bondage, that they fee them felves miferable men, men condemned to dye. Now when God hath discovered our mifery unto us, and wee rightly apprehend what our estates are, then we beginne to looke on Christ as a condemned malefactour on his pardon ; as a Captaine on him that comes to redeeme him; as a Widdow that thought the fhould live well enough alone, but now when all her goods as feized upon, and they are now to carry her to prifon, would bee content if any one would marry her. When a man fhall fee what hee is without Christ, one that is condemned, that must perish if hee have him not; then he lookes on Chrift, as upon one most defirable, to prize him, to thirst for him; and if hee know that Chrift will then receive him, oh then he cannot but love him; for Love (as hach beene faid) is to a good apprehended; fit for us. Now without this, wee will thinke of Chrift, as if wee might bee well enough without him: Bu

when

when the heart is thus prepared by Humiliatio,oh that all the World would vanish for Chrift! Then comes the Gospel, and tels us that Chriftis willing to take us, to redeeme us, to be ours. And then when we take him, the match is made up : and thence arifes this conjugall Love. The Apoftle praies for the Ephefians, that Chrift may dwell in their hearts by Faith, Ephef. 3. to unite them to Chrift, to marry him; then prefently it follovvs, That ye may bee rooted and grounded in Love: fo that Love followes this, and not a flash, but it rootes us in Love. The act of juftifying Faith, is the taking of Chrift for reft. Now when yee have taken him thus, then you will love him, and then all that followes will be effects of this love: fo that this love of the Lord Iefus, is this; to. wit, !.

A holy difpofition, arifing from Faith, where by wee cleave unto the Lord Iefus Chrift, with full purpose of heart, to ferve and please him in all things.

Whereby wee cleave to him. Love inclines, and knits our hearts to him, as it did Davids to Fonathans. And fo Barnabas exhorted them to cleave unto the Lord with full purpose of heart, Act. 11. Neither is this idle, but makes a man defirous to please the Lord in all things. A man is faide to love the Lord, when out of a perfwafion that Chrift is most defirable, and willing to receive him, hee cleaves to the Lord with a defire to ferve and pleafe him in all thinges. Faith

that

that begets Love; is not onely a perfwafion that the Lord will be mercifull, and forgive us: (For a prifoner may fee the ludge willing to pardon him, and perfwade him felfe that hee shall be pardoned, and yet love not the Iudge, because hee lookes not on the Iudge, as on an amiable perfon,) but a receiving and refting upon his amiableneffe. There is another affection; when the heart is fo framed,it apprehends Chrift for its onely good, its happineffe. Faith is not onely an act of the minde, to beleeve that God will pardon us; but of the Will and heart alfo, to take Christ for our Husband; fo that all the parts of the heart are inclined and bent after hem. If you be leeve with all your heart, faith Philip to the Eunuch, A. 8. Ifa Spouse fhould fee one willing to have her, that is not enough to make up the match; the may not thinke him fit, fhee may bee unwilling. But fuppofe there bee one that thee. loves above all, whom the thinkes to bee most fit for her, yea fhe thinkes fhe fhall bee undone if the have him not: but yet fhe is not fure that hee will. have her, but thinkes it is very probable that hee may be induced unto it. So this is Faith, when a man fees Christ onely worth his love, he would gladly bee divorced from all, fo that he might, have Chrift, oh he cannot bee without him, yet there is fomewhat betwixt them, he cannot firmly beleeve that Chrift loves him, but yet doth not thinke that hee is wholly averfe from him. Though thy perfwafion bee not full, yet if you have this thirst and defire, this hungering af D

ter