always in his heart towards thee, thy heart could never have been drawn in love to him. But he has drawn it. And thou art seeking to have it drawn more closely to him. Is it not thy daily wish? O for more love to my gracious Father-what a love has he shown to me--what a free, covenant, everlasting love! And yet, alas! what poor returns do I make him? Holy Spirit of love! raise and exalt my affections, and let the consideration of the wonderful love of my heavenly Father to me increase mine to him, and let mine abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all sensible experience.

The Holy Spirit, who is the great teacher and manifester of the Father's love, has revealed these properties of it in scripture, for the establishment of the faith of the children of God. He would have them believe assuredly, that God is their Father, not in name only, but in deed and in truth; that he has the bowels of the tenderest parent, and that he freely, fully, everlastingly loves them in his dear Son. As he loves him, so he loves He embraces the head and the mem

them.

bers with the same affection. And because they can hardly believe this in times of trial and trouble, the Holy Spirit would satisfy their hearts of it, by discovering to them the unchangeableness of their Father's love, as it has been manifested in the divine covenant, and confirmed with the divine oath. In both which, the witness of the Father to his children is given in this manner-I have freely loved you, I have engaged to love you, and I will ever be mindful of my covenant engagements-as I live, saith the Lord, I will love you unto the end ---yea, I will bless you with all spiritual and eternal blessings in Christ Jesús—what he, your elder brother, is now in glory, that will my love make you the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on

you.

These are faithful sayings, and worthy of all acceptation. O evil heart of unbelief! what pretence hast thou to reason against the truth

of them? O ye of little faith, wherefore do ye doubt of receiving the goodness of them? Your Father is not a man, that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should alter his purpose. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Yes, the purpose of his heart, spoken with his mouth, shall be made good with his arm all his perfections stand engaged to establish his faithful word, and therefore it is a safe ground to build and to rest upon. Trusting to it, the believer may boldly claim the promised blessings of his Father's love; and with a hope that will never make him ashamed, he may expect a growing enjoyment of its free covenant and eternal blessings.

Well then, O my soul! thoti hast considered the subject. What are thy sentiments of the love of the Father? Are they such as the scripture teaches? Take heed of error. A little mistake here will have dreadful effects upon thy walk. Dost thou believe, that thou, coming to the Father, through faith in the life and death of his co-equal

Son, art pardoned and justified before him, and that this thy coming to the Father, through the Son, is from the grace of the Spirit? Therefore, the Three that bear record in heaven, do witness to thy being an, object of covenant love. Does this witness keep thy conscience quiet, and thy heart happy? Canst thou plead it against guilt and fear, and maintain the influence of it in dark and trying times? The love of thy heavenly Father is immutable: dost thou experience it to be so? It is everlasting. Canst thou depend upon it as such? It has provided all blessings for thee in Jesus: art thou receiving them out of his fulness, grace for grace? It is proposed to thy faith in John xvii. and in Eph. iii. as a never-failing spring of consolation. Read and try, whether thou art practically acquainted with what is there written. Examine the character of the Father's love, and be assured what is not agreeable to it, is not the teaching of the Holy Spirit. His office in thy soul is to witness to what he has revealed in the scripture, to explain it to thine understanding, to make it the ground of thy faith, and the

enjoyment of thy heart. Dost thou then understand, and believe, and enjoy the Father's love, according to what the Holy Spirit has testified of it?

Perhaps thou art clear in thine understanding, but through the weakness of thy faith, hast but little enjoyment of the love of God. Why is thy faith weak? Search into the cause, (depend upon it, God is not the cause,) and having discovered it, inquire into the remedy. There is provision made in the covenant for all the infirmities of thy faith: for it was well ordered in all things and sure, and thy faith was well ordered and sure-infallible securi ties were provided in the covenant to make it sure. That thou shouldst have it, that thou shouldst keep it, and keep it too unto the end, the blessed Trinity have engaged, by their immutable counsel, and their inmutable oath. Therefore, thou art now kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. The power of God, which is thy keeper, has given thee faith, and keeps thy faith, that it fail not. Thou and it are well kept. A covenant God has the charge of both. AL