Of Love — Sermon 2

(GALLAT. 5:6)For in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but Faith which works by Love.

THE last tryall of our love to Christ was its constraining vertue, love will constraine you to serve him, you cannot choose but doe it, it so constraines a man, as the weight of a stone compelleth it to goe to the center, as the lightnesse of the fire compells it to ascend up: for such a thing is love, a strong inclination of the heart, when the soul puts it selfe on any thing from an inward principle, from a bottome of its own, when it is carried on with no other motive but the amiablenes of the object.

Now to conclude this, we must beseech you to consider your own condition, and examine your selves by these rules, that you may be able to say as Peter said, Lord you knowest I love you: that is, to have such an assurance, that your hearts may be well affected towards Christ Jesus, that you may love him, that you may be able to say to God, who knowes our hearts, searcheth our reines, that knowes all the windings and turnings of your souls, Lord you knowest that I love you. Since it is a matter of such moment, we should be carefull to examine, if we finde that we have not yet this love: for we must know, that all that we have, all that we doe, it will nothing availe us, but faith which works by love. And if you object, why doe you preach damnation to us? doe you tell us we are in an evil condition for want of this love? I answere, it is profitable for you, while you are in such a condition, to have it preached, it is good for you to speake this damnation to your selves, that while yet there is hope you may seek to be healed, that you may be translated into another condition, that you may not perish in the evil day, when there shalbe neither hope nor helpe for you. For you must know, that when we deliver you these signes of examining your selves, our end is not to grieve you, this doctrine tends not to destruction, but to discover to you your own hearts, that you may know your own condition, that if you want it, you may seek after it. If therefore you finde a want of this love, that we will doe next, shall be to show you what reason you have to love the Lord Jesus: for there is no better way to get it in you, than to describe him to you, to show you what cause there is of loving him: if we were able to present him to you as he is, we should effect this thing, but that must be the worke of the holy Ghost; notwithstanding we will briefly open to you such reasons as we finde used in the Scriptures.

And first, let this move you to love him, that he is worthy to be beloved, as David speakes, Psal. 18:3. The Lord is worthy to be praised: so we may say, the Lord is worthy to be loved: for what is it that makes any thing worthy of love, it is the excellency that we finde there. Now in the Lord there is all kinde of excellency: whatever there is that is amiable under the Sunne, all that you shall finde in him more abundantly: If ever you see any thing in any creature, any thing amiable in man, if ever you saw any beauty, any vertue, any excellency, all these must be more abundant in him that made these creatures. And therefore if you have a love, as there is no man without some love or other, some creature seemes beautifull to you, think with your selues, this is more in the Lord. If ever you see excellency in any man, if ever you see any noblenesse, any holinesse, any excellency of disposition, know that it is more abundant in the Lord Jesus: Let these rivers leade you to that Ocean, to that abundance of excellency that is in the Lord. And if you love any creature, let it be with a little love, let your affection be proportionable to the object; as it exceedes in the Lord, so let your love exceede towards him, to love him with all your soul and all your strength: And know this, that he has not onely that in an omnipotent manner, that is but sprinkled among the creatures, they have but a sparke, but a drop of it; but also there is this in the Lord, that there is nothing in him but that which is amiable: every creature has some imperfection in it, there is somewhat in it may cause aversation in you, there is no man but has some weaknesse, but has some infirmity, there is no creature but it has some want, some defect in it: but in the Lord there is no want, there is nothing to put you off; but as the Church says, Cant. 5. He is wholly delectable: that is, there is nothing in him but that which is amiable. That would be a very profitable thing for us in this case often to think on the Lord Jesus, to present him to our selues in our thoughts, as the Spouse does, Cant. 5. she considers her wellbeloved is the fairest of ten thousand: so we should beholde the person of our husband. You know it is but a harlottry love to consider what we have by our husband, to consider what riches he brings, what honor, and not often to contemplate upon his person, and upon his vertue and excellency: we should learne to doe this with the Lord, that we may love him. Therefore that we may helpe you a little in this contemplation, we will show you how the Lord has described himself: Exod. 34:4. when the Lord describes himself to Moses, thus he declares his own name, The Lord Iehovah, strong, mercifull, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in kindnesse and in truth, reserving mercies for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sinne, &c. We will a little open to you this description that the Lord gives us of himself, that so you may learne to know what he is; for the way to love the Lord is to know him: and indeed therefore we love him not, because we know him not; there is no other reason, why in heaven, when we shall come to be present with him, we shall love him so abundantly, but because we shall know him face to face; that is the reason the Angels and the Saints love most: And of every man among the Saints he that knowes most loues most. Therefore it should be your labour to know the Lord. But to open, as I say, this description to you,

First, he is Iehovah, that is, he is a constant friend to whomever he is a friend, he is alway the same; for that is another name, by which the Lord describes himself to Moses, when he sends him to Aegypt, I am that I am, says he, say, I am has sent me: I take this word, that it comes from the same roote, Iehovah is described by that I am, and by that it is best understood, when the Lord calls himself I am, whereas every man may say, I was, and I shall be, this every creature may say; but the Lord says, I am: that is, whatever the Lord was from eternity, the same he is to eternity, there is no change in him: And that is a great excellency in him that may move us exceedingly to love him. You know when we meete with a friend that is constant, that has no alteration in him, that is a sure friend, have him once and have him for ever, it sets a higher price on him. When we can consider what the Lord is, that he has dealt thus and thus with us, that he has loved us; and when we consider he is constant in it, that he embraceth them with the sure mercies of David, as they are called; that is, his compassions faile not, but when he has once begun to love, he loues for ever: it is not so with men, if they love us at one time, they forget us againe, as the Butler forgot Ios[•]ph; when they are in prosperity they forget us, but the Lord knowes us in all our conditions; you have known my soul in adversitie. When we are in a strait, friends oft times are backward to helpe us, but the Lord in such an exigent he is the same; he appeares in the Mount when there is no helpe in man; I say, this constancy, that God is alway the same to us, that his mercies are sure, for they are called the sure mercies of David. He showed mercies to Saul too, but they were another kinde of mercies; Saul was not one that he had chosen to himself, and therefore his mercies continued not, for indeed he never loved Saul with that unchangeable love: But when he loues any man as he loved David, his mercies are sure as they were to David. David was ready to step aside often as well as Saul, he let Saul goe, but he carried David along, they were sure mercies: and such he shows to all those that he has begun to love. That is the first, I am, or Iehovah.

Secondly, he is strong, Iehovah, strong, mercifull and gracious, &c. that is, Almighty. What is the meaning of that, that he is almighty? The meaning of it is this, that the Lord has all the excellencies; those which we call graces and vertues, and qualities in men, all these abound in the Lord; for what serues any vertue for, or any quality that you have, but to enable you to doe something: if a man have any science or art, that is but to enable him to doe that which without it he cannot doe: if a man has the art of Arithmetique, he is able to number, or if he have the art of Logicke, he is able to dispute: come to all morall vertues, What is temperance, but that which enableth us to doe such and such things uppon such and such occasions? What is patience, but that which enableth us to endure afflictions? So all that is excellent in man, all those amiable, those beautifull qualities wherewith the soul is adorned, are but so farre good as they enable a man to doe this or that. Now when the Lord is said to be almighty, the meaning is, he has all excellency in him, and he has it in the highest degree, for in this sense God is able to doe more than any man, in regard of excellency; whatever a man is able to doe, you know how infinitely the Lord has it beyond him, he is able to doe so much more as he is beyond any man: For that power, that attribute, that quality that is in man, it is not a quality in him, he has it beyond any man. Againe, when a man is able to doe one thing, yet he is not able to doe another, one creature is able to doe this, another that: But the Lord is Almightie, therefore he is able to doe all things. And therefore this is a kind of excellencie, that is the second description, he is Iehovah, and he is Almightie.

But now when you hear that the Lord is thus constant, and thus exceeding in excellencie, a man will be ready to say, what is this to me? I am a sinfull man, there is nothing in me but that which may turne away the Lord from me, and cause him to abhorre me: Well says he, to comfort you, know that I am mercifull, exceeding pittifull, exceeding ready to forgiue, though your sinnes bee exceeding many, though they bee exceeding great, yet the Lord he is mercifull: he is ready to passe by all those infirmities. And that is another of his excellencies. You know we reckon it a very amiable thing in a man when we see him pittifull. This does more abound in the Lord, than in any creature, there is no man in the world so ready to forgive as God. If he were not God, if he were as man, my brethren, could he beare with us as he does? Let us doe to a man injuries, and injuries againe and againe, and never give over, what man can beare it, does he not in the end withdrawe himself, and will no more be reconciled? But it is not so with the Lord, when we have done all, Yet returne to me, says the Lord, Ier. 3:2. Well, but if we have such sinnes in us, suppose the Lord is mercifull and ready to forgive, but yet there is no goodness in us, we have nothing in us why he should regard us, and why he should looke after us: To that it is answered, the Lord is gracious, that is, though there bee no worth found in you, yet he is ready to doe you good: as grace you know is proper to a Prince or a great man, that is sayd to be gracious to his subject, or to one that is very inferiour, because he can doe nothing to deserue it, it is called grace, for grace you knowe is nothing but freenes, and to be gracious is to doe things freely, when there is no motive, no wages, when there is nothing to winne him, but of free grace he does it. So the Lord does what he does of his free grace, he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, that is, when all men did stand before him alike, though there were nothing, when there was no cause why the Lord should regard them more than an other, yet He will have mercy on whome he will have mercy, that is, he is gracious, though there be nothing in us to winne that love at his hands. Well, but yet we may be readie to object, it is true, the Lord has been thus to me, he has ben very merciful to forgiue me my sinnes, he has beene very gracious to me to show me favor when I never deserved it, but after, I was put into such a condition, I provoked him to anger by relapsing into sinne againe and againe after I have been in a good estate, I have broken the covenant with him, I continued not in that good estate that out of his mercy he has put me into.

To this he answers, He is long suffering, that is, though you provoke him out of measure, though you have done it againe and againe, he continues patient, you cannot wearie him out, but his mercy indures for ever: you know that if there were an end of his mercy, that on your sinning, he should give over to be mercifull, his mercy did not indure for ever, therefore it is said, He is long suffering, because though your sinnes be often repeated, yet the Lord as often repeates his mercy, therefore there is a multitude of mercyes in him, as there is a multitude of sinnes in you, there is a spring of mercy in him, that is renued every day, he opens a spring for Iudah & Ierusalem to wash in, it is not a Cesterne but a Spring, that is renewed as much as your sinnes, that as you are defiled daily, so the Lords mercy is renewed to wash away those sinnes, he is long suffering. But besides all this he goes yet one step further; he is abundant in kindnes and in truth, that is, if you would know the Lord yet further, whereas you may think He is a terrible God, because of his great Majestie, and power, and therefore that those disharten you, as wherever you find terriblenesse, that (you know) puts off, it is contrary to love: and therefore the Lord to winne us the more, tells us: that though he be so great a God as he is, yet he is abundant in kindnesse, that is, He is exceeding ready to beare with us, that looke what you finde in a kinde Husband, in a kinde Father, or in a kinde friend, that you shall find in the Lord, he is exceeding kinde to you, he is not harsh, he is not stiffe, he is not ready to observe all that you doe amisse, if you will aske any thing at his hands, if you want it, (as therein kindnes does consist) he is ready to doe it, whatever it is, he is a God hearing prayer, he says, whatever you aske at his hands he will doe it, can you have a greater kindnesse than this? if kindnesse be an attractive to winne love, he is kinde, and he is abundant in it. If you will not beleeve this assertion, this affirmation, this description of himself, he tells you he has promised, and he will be as good as his word, he is abundant in truth, that is as if he should say, I am not onely of such a nature and disposition as I have described my selfe to be, but besides this I am engaged to you, you have many promises I have made you, I have sworne I will doe thus and thus: Therefore I will adde this to this disposition, I am abundant in truth, that is, you shall finde me as good as my word; and not so onely, but I will be better than my word: I am abundant in truth: that is, his performances exceede, they runne over, whatever he has said, he will surely doe it. Consider this, consider how many precious promises you have, consider what the Lord has said he will doe for you, how full is the Scripture of promises every where; remember this, the Lord is abundant in truth, he will doe them and overdoe them, he will fulfill every word that he has said. And that he may give you a proof of it, he addes, that he reserves mercy for thousands, that shows he is abundant in kindnesse and in truth: as if he should say, when any of you doe me service, when you are faithful as Abraham my servant was, I am bound no more but to reward your selves, but I am abundant in mercy and forgivenesse, reserving mercy for thousands: The Lord cannot content himself to doe good to a mans own person, but to his children, to his generation. As David when he loved Barzillay and Ionathan, it extended to their posterity, when his love was abundant: so the Lord reserves mercie for thousands.

Lastly, because the objection still comes in when you have such a description of the Lord: I but my sinnes are still repeated; he addes in the conclusion, he is a God still forgiving iniquitie, transgression and sinne. Why are those three words put in? That you may know that he forgives sinnes of all sorts; for every man is ready to finde some peculiarity in his sinnes, he thinkes such and such sinnes cannot be forgiven, sinnes that I have committed thus and thus: In fact, says the Lord, what sinnes soever they are, of what nature soever, he forgives iniquity, he forgives naturall corruption, he forgives lesse infirmities, he forgives greater rebellions; and he is still doing it, for so the word signifies, he is still and still forgiving iniquity, transgression and sinne. So we have showed you what the Lord is, that you may learn to know him: therfore we wil conclude this first, and say to you as the Spouse says, Cant. 5. Such a one is the Lord, and such a one is our wellbeloved, oh you daughters of Ierusalem, that is, he is wholly delectable: if we were able to show him to you, it must be your labour to consider him, that you may learne to know him, and to love him.

Secondly, when you know this and consider what the Lord is, and what excellency is in him, consider in the next place the greatnesse of the Lord, and know that this great God is suiter to you for your love, that is, he that makes towards you: If a great King, or if your potent neighbor should sue to you for love, would not that move you? You know the weaker should seek to the stronger, men of meaner condition should seek to him of higher place; when the great God beseecheth us to be reconciled to him, when he desires to be at peace with us, and to be friends with us, I say, the greatnesse of God is a great argument to move us to love him: as you have that Deut. 10:17. when the Lord reasons there with the people to persuade them to love him, says he, I am the God of Gods, the Lord of Lords, mighty and terrible: as if he should say; this great God has done all this for you: and this he requires at your hands, that you shouldest love him, when he shall desire but this, refuse it not. If one that we contemne, one that is beneath us should seek our love, we are not so ready to returne love againe, for we say he is below: But when we consider God in his majesty and greatnesse, that he should seek to be reconciled to us, that should move us, that should win our hearts to him

Besides, consider what the Lord might have required of you; you know you are his creatures, you know what a distance there is betweene the Lord and you, if he had put you on a harder task, you ought to have done it, if he had said to us, you shall offer your children to me in sacrifice, you shall give your own bodies to be burned, you shall be my slaves, who could have said any thing to that, for he is the Lord, the great God, our soveraigne Creatour: But now when the Lord comes and askes no more at our hands but this, you shall love me, will you deny it him? This is effectually urged in the same Chapter, Deut. 10:14. where Moses (marke the manner of urging it) had described to them what the Lord had done for them, that he had brought them into that good land, &c. And now, says he, what does the Lord require of you for all this, but onely this, that you love the Lord your God? As if he should say, the Lord might aske much more at your hands; if he had, you hadst no reason to deny it; but all that he requires is that you love him: and wilt you denie this to him?

Besides, consider who it is that has planted this love in the heart, is it not the Lord that gives you this very affection? And when he calls for this love againe at your hands, does he call for more than his own? Shall he not gather the grapes of his own Vineyard? and shall he not eate the fruite of his own Orchard? Has not he planted in us these affections? and ought they not to be returned to him, to serve him and to pitch on him?

Besides consider, you are engaged to love the Lord, and that should be a great motive to us: in Iosh. 24:12.You are witnesses that you have chosen the Lord this day to serve him: And they said, we are witnesses: that is Iosuahs speach to the people: As if he should say to them, you are not now to choose, you are now engaged, you cannot goe backe, you have professed you have chosen the Lord to serve him, therefore you are witnesses against your selves. So I may say to every man that heares me, you are engaged to love the Lord: Why? Because you have chosen him for your husband, you are baptized in his name, you have taken him for your Master, and for your Father, therefore he may challenge it at your hands as right, for he is your Father: and where is his honor then? He is your Master, and where is his fear then? That is, you are engaged, he may challenge it justly, you are his, he has bought you, indeed he has overbought you, he has paid a price more worth than we, he has bought us with his blood: And what has he bought us for but to be his, that is, to love him? Therefore when we love him not, we robbe God of our selves, we doe an unnaturall thing, it is treachery and injustice in us. As you know, it is one thing in a woman that is free from an husband to neglect a man that is a friend, but when she has engaged her selfe, and the match is made, now it is adultery: So every one of us that loves not the Lord, sinnes the more, because he is engaged to him: Deut. 32:13,you forsookest the strong God of your salvation, you forsakest him to whom you are engaged, he is the strong God of your salvation, he has done thus and thus for you. Therefore consider this, for seeing you have such an affection as love is, you must bestow it somewhere, somewhat you must love: and you must know againe it is the best thing you have to bestow, for that commands all in you; and where will you bestow it? Can you finde any creature upon whom to bestow it rather than the Lord? Will you bestow it upon any man? The Lord exceedes them, as David says, Who among the gods is like you? That is, take the most excellent among them, that therefore are reckoned as gods, yet who among them is like to you? or whom will you bestow your love upon, your wealth, or your pleasures or your phantasies? You must think the Lord will take this exceeding evil at your hands, that you should bestow this affection elsewhere than on him whom you are engaged to, to whom you are bound so much, who has done so much for you.

But that which moves us most is particulars, if a man consider what the Lord has done for him in particular, remember what passage has beene betweene the Lord and you from the beginning of your youth. Ier. 2.Neither said they where is the Lord that brought you out of the land of Egypt through the wildernesse: I remember you from the land of Egypt, &c. That is, let a man consider Gods particular dealing with him, for when the Lord would stirre up David, and melt his heart, and bring it to a kindly sorrow for his sinnes, he takes that course: 2 Sam. 12:7. it is Nathans speech to him, says he, Did not the Lord doe thus and thus? Did he not make you King of Iudah and Israel? Did not he give your Masters wives and your Masters houses into your bosome? And if that had not been enough, he would have done thus and thus. So let every man recount the particular kindnesses and mercies he has received from the Lord; and when we consider that it is he that does all, that it is he that feedes us, that it is he that clothes us, we have not a nights sleepe but he gives it to us, we have not a blessing but it is from his hand, there is not a judgement that we escape but it is through his providence: I say the consideration of these particulars should be as so many sparkes, to breede in us a flame of love towards the Lord, to think with your selves when you have done all, how unreasonable a thing it is, how unequall a thing that you should forget this God, that you should never think on him, that you should not love him, he that has done thus much for you.

And last of all consider, that the Lord loves you, for that is the greatest motive to winne us to love him; for as fire begets fire, so love begets love. This was the cause that Paul loved the Lord, Gal. 2:20.He that loved me, and gave himself for me, says he, I will not live any more to my selfe, but to him, he has loved me, and gave himself for me, he has loved me: and there was that testimony of his love, he gave himself. I say consider this love of the Lord, and let this beget in you a reciprocall affection towards him: Put all together, and consider the Lord is worthy to be beloved, that he that is so great sues to you for your love, that he that is God, that planted that love in your hearts, and therefore he does but call for his own, that he that has done you so many kindnesses, that you are so engaged to him, that you are now bound to, you are not now to chuse; at the least come to this, to say he is worthy to be beloved, bring your hearts to this, to desire to love him.

You will say, we may desire long enough, but how shall we be able to doe it?

I will tell you in a word, and so conclude. First, you must pray for it, it is a lovely suite, when we come to the Lord and tell him, that we desire to love him, that we would faine doe it if we could, and beseech him not to deny us that request, that we know is according to his will: doe you think that the Lord will refuse you in that case, especially if you begge it importunately at his hands?

For if you object and say, we have prayed and have not obtained it; know, that to love the Lord is a precious thing: and therefore the Apostle reckons it so.

You will say, How does this prayer doe it? I say that it does it partly by obtaining at Gods hands; for when you crie earnestly, he cannot denie you: But as he did with the lame and the blinde when they were importunate, he never neglected any but healed them. When you crie to the Lord, and say, I would faine love you, but I cannot, will he not be as willing to heale your soul, to give you legges to runne after him, and eyes to see him, as he was to heale the lame and the blinde, certainly he will not denie you.

But besides that, prayer does it, because it brings us to converse and to have communion with him; by prayer we are familiar with God, by that meanes love growes betweene us: as you know when you converse with men, it is a means to get love.

Againe, prayer does it, because when we are much in calling upon God, the Lord delights to show himself to such a man, indeed at such a time, for the most part, as he showed himself to Christ when he was praying, as he did to Moses, and to Cornelius and others.

And againe, prayer it exerciseth this love, it blowes up the sparke of this love, and makes a flame of it; therefore much prayer begets much love: If you would be abundant in love, be fervent and frequent in this dutie of prayer, pray much and you shall finde this effect of it, it will beget love in you: You will say prayer is a generall meanes for other things: Why doe you put it as a peculiar meanes to get love?

The reason is, because love in an especiall manner is a gift of the Spirit, a fruite of the holie Ghost; and it is true, it must be a peculiar worke of the Spirit to beget love. It is true, faith comes by hearing, and hearing begets faith, it is done likewise by the Spirit; but love is more peculiarly than other graces, the gift of the holie Ghost. And therefore 2 Thess. 4. says the Apostle, You are taught of God to love one another: That is, it is such a thing as God teaches, or else our teaching will never doe it: that which he says of love to the brethren, we may say of the love of God; the Lord has put love into man, man loves many times, and knowes not why, many times he has reason that he should love, and yet he cannot, because it is a peculiar gift of God. That naturall affection for a man to love his children, all the world cannot doe it, all the arguments in the world cannot persuade a man: for if arguments could doe it, we might persuade others to doe so; but none can love so as the father does his childe: and why? but because the Lord workes that in men. So the love of God is a peculiar worke of the holy Ghost, none are able to love Jesus, but he in whom the Lord has wrought it, in whom the holy Ghost has planted this affection: Therefore the way to get it is earnestly to pray, to acknowledge the power of the holy Ghost, to goe to him, and say, Lord I am not able to doe it: this acknowledgement of the power of the holy Ghost is the way to prevaile. Besides, you know the power of God is so transcendent beyond the pitch of our nature, that except the holy Ghost worke more than nature, we shall never be brought together in agreeablenesse and sutablenesse, we are no more able to love the Lord, than colde water is able to heate it selfe: there must be somewhat to breede heate in that water, so the holy Ghost must breed that fire of love in us, it must be kindled from heaven, or else we shall never have it.

Secondly, another speciall meanes to enable you to love the Lord, is to consider your own condition, to consider your sinnes, what you are, what hearts you have, and what lives you have lead?

You will say, how does this beget love?

Yes, this is a great meanes: Mary loved much, because much was forgiven her, that is, Mary Magdalen had great sense of her sinnes, the Lord had opened her eyes to see what a one she had beene, what sinnes she had committed: And because she had that sense of her sinnes, her eyes were open to see her own vilenesse: from there it is, says he, she loved much. For when we are humble and poore in spirit, when we are little in our own eyes, then the Lord will come and show mercy on us; when a man shall see his sinne, and shall think with himself, I am worthy to be destroyed, I can expect nothing but death, then the Lord shall come sodainly as it were, and shall tell us you shall live, and shall reconcile himself to us, this will command love. We shall never receive the Gospel as to love Christ, till we come to poverty of spirit, till we be thus humbled: as in the first of Luke, it is the speech of Mary, My soul does magnifie the Lord: and why? because he had respect to the poore estate of his handmaiden: When she was little in her own eyes, and made no account of her selfe, and thought not her selfe worthy to be looked after, the Lord comes and takes her, and vouchsafes her such an honor as to cause his own Sonne to be borne of her: now she could not holde, but that was it that enflamed her heart with love to the Lord, my soul does magnifie the Lord, because he had respect to the poore estate of his handmaid: So we see in David, you never finde a greater expression of love in David, than at that time when he was most humbled, when the Prophet came to him and told him what the Lord would doe for him, that he would build him and house; David begins to consider what he was, what is David, says he, What am I, or what is my fathers house? That is, I am but a poore miserable man, I am but thus borne, what have I done that the Lord should respect me so farre? If David had not beene so little and so vile in his own eyes, those great mercies had never so wrought on his heart. And therefore I say, the way to make us abundant in love is to consider our sinnes, to be humbled, to consider what we are, and to conceive from from there the kindnesse of the Lord: you know how it affected Saul when he came into the hands of David, that he had power to kill him, he considered what he had done to Dauid, how he had used himself to him, and he saw Dauids kindnesse againe to him, but unexpected and undeserved it was, it melted his heart, it dissolved him into teares. So the love of the Lord, when we consider how we have behaved our selves to him, and yet he has offered us peace, and yet he says, Returne and I will forgive you, I say, this would worke on the hardest heart: And therefore consider your sinnes, it is not enough to say I am a sinner, perhaps you are ready to doe so: But come to particular sinnes, consider in which you have offended the Lord, say you have done thus and thus, as Paul reasons with himself, I was a blasphemer, I was a persecuter, an oppressour, and yet the Lord had mercy on me: so be ready to say, I have committed such and such sinnes, it may be uncleannesse, it may be Sabbath-breaking and swearing, &c. yet the Lord has beene mercifull or willing to receive me to mercy: as that place, Ier. 3:1.If a mans wife play the harlot, will he returne to her? No, he will put her away, and give her a Bill of Divorcement: but you have done it, and done it oft, and with many lovers; and yet returne againe to me, says the Lord: So I say, when Christ shall come to you, when you have committed such and such sinnes, and the Lord shall say to you, though you have done this, though you have done it often, yet returne again to me, and I will receive you to mercie: I say, this should melt our hearts, and cause us to love the Lord. I should come to the third, that is, to beseech the Lord to show his own selfe to you: for indeed we shall never come to love him till the Lord show himself to us. It is one thing when we preach him to you, and it is another when the Lord shows himself: For as the Sunne is not seene but by his own light, there is no way in the world to see the Sunne, all the candles, all the torches cannot doe it, except the Sunne show it selfe: So I say of the Lord, all the Preachers in the world, though they should speake with the tongues of Angels, they were not able to show the Lord Christ Jesus what he is: but if the Lord show his own selfe to you, if he open the cloud and show you his glory, and the light of his countenance, then you shall know the Lord after another manner than we can show him to you, with another knowledge more effectually: And when you have seene him thus, you shall love him, without this you shall not love him. And therefore pray the Lord to show himself to you, as it was Moses prayer, Exod. 33,Show me your glory. What is that? That is, Lord show me your excellency which is exceeding glorious: You must think Moses asked not this in vaine, it was for some purpose, he asked not meerely to satisfie his fancie, for the Lord would not then have heard him: But what did he aske it for? Surely that he might love the Lord the more, by knowing him better. And when Moses came to aske it at the hands of the Lord, he did assent, he proclaimed, that is, he revealed himself more than ever he did before. So I say to every one of you, if you be earnest with the Lord, desire him to show you his excellencie, that you might love him more, serve him more, and fear him more, he could deny you no more than he did Moses: for you must think, that this is no extraordinary thing for the Lord to show himself. That which he did miraculously to Stephen, when he opened the heavens, and showed himself to the outward view, that he does ordinarily to the Saints, he shows himself to their mindes and inward affections. When we preach at any time, except the Lord show himself to you at that time, then our preaching is in vaine: for the word that we speake is but a dead letter, it will worke no more upon you, than a dead thing that has no efficacy. But when the Spirit goes with the word, and he opens to you the thing that we speake, then it is effectuall. Therefore Paul to the Ephesians, when he had opened those great mysteries, he concludes with this: The Lord give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, to enlighten the eyes of your understanding, that you may know what the hope of your calling is, and what is the glorious inheritance of the Saints, &c. As if he should say, when I have said all this, it is nothing, it will not doe it; but he beseecheth the Lord to give them the Spirit of revelation, and then it is done. And so to conclude all, when we have said all we can to move you to love the Lord, it is all nothing except the Lord give you that Spirit of wisdom and revelation to open your eyes to see what is the exceeding greatnesse and excellency of his power.

FINIS.