Of Love — Sermon 6

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

AND before we leave this poynt, one thing I must add For what reason doe we put you upon this disposition, upon this examination, whether the love of God be in your hearts or no? The reason is not that you should be discouraged, that (you should be put off from comming to God, that you should be greived with the sight of the want of your love, but the end of it is to stirre you up to gett it, if you want it. You know, we have formerly delivered some meanes of getting it, onely there is one which we will commend to you, which we gave a little touch on but could not handle it, and it consists of these Three branches; if you would love the Lord:

First you must know him, for otherwise you cannot love him. As it is in naturall love that is bred between man and man, you say love ariseth from sight, they must see before they can love; so you must know the Lord, there must be a sight of God by faith, before you can love him. And every man that sees him and knowes him as he is will love him, he cannot chuse, for that is the Lords worke to all the Saints. Ierem. 31, You shall he taught of me, and you shall know me from the greatest to the least. It may be in some manner they knew God before, but although a man have never so exact knowledge of him, yet till he be a regenerate man, he never knowes him indeed it is an other kind of knowledge that he has, when a man is regenerate; whē God teaches him to know him, he lookes on God with an other eye, every thing is presented to him after an other manner, he sees now an other beautie in God than ever he saw before, he sees an other excellencie in him: for that knowledge he had of him before bredd not love. But when a man is once within the Covenant, the Lord will teach him such a knowledge of himself, as withall will worke the love of him. Such a knowledge you must have of the Lord, and you may help your selves to love him by reasoning, if ever you saw any excellencie in any man, or in any creature, it did help you to love that creature. Think with your selves there is more in God that made that creature. He that made the eye shall he not see? So he that wrought that excellency, shall not he have it in himself in a greater measure? Besides, you may consider how the Lord has described himself, that he is most wise, most mercifull, and full of kindness, and gentlenes, and abundant in truth, as you know that description in Exod. 34.

Go through all the vertues, and excellencyes that are amiable, if you looke in the Scripture, you shall find them to be in the Lord. This serious consideration will help you, to increase your knowledge of the Lord, and by consequent your love of him. So that, if you would come to love a man, what is it that causes you to love him, but because by his speech, and by his carriage and behavior, you come to have such an apprehension of his disposition, he has a minde thus framed, thus qualified, thus beautified? When you conceiue such an Idea of him, you love him. So, when you apprehend the Lord aright, when you observe him as he is described in his word, when you observe his doings, when you consider his workes, and learne from all these together a right apprehension of him, I say, when you have such an Idea of him, such an opinion of him, then the will followes the understanding, and the affections then followes, then you come to love him, and to delight in him. Therefore learne to know the Lord by his former carriage towardes your selves, how kinde he has beene, how exceeding patient, how exceeding readie to forgiue, how much kindnesse he has showed, how has he in mercy remembred you, though you have forgotten him; how you have recompenced him evil for good, yet he has not broaken off the course of his mercie towards you. Consider his dealing with you, and learne by this to know the Lord, and this will be a meanes to encrease in you the love of the Lord.

This is not all, there is another thing, which is the second branch that I told you of; that is, to looke upon God as one sutable to you, and to your disposition. For if you should finde never so much excellencie in him, if he be not agreeable to you, you love him not. A woman may see a man that she thinkes is very excellent, in many respects, yet he is not a fit husband for her. It is the sutablenesse and agreeablenesse betweene God and our own condition, that causes us to love him. Therefore when you put these two together, consider the Lords mercie, and see that, and looke on your selves as sinfull men needing that mercie; when you see the Lord exceeding powerfull, and looke on your selves as very weake, needing that power; when you looke on him as the Lord of life, and see your selves subject to death, and needing that life; when you see your own folly, and his wisdom, (go through all in him, and then againe looke upon the contrary weaknesse in your selves) this is that which will make you apprehend God as one that is sutable, as one that is agreeable to you; and till you come to this, you shall never love him, and long after him, till the heart namely is thus framed, till a man is humbled, till he comes to the sight of himself: for as you must know God, so you must know your selves before you can love him. I say, when a man comes to that, he begins to looke on God as upon one agreeable to him: As, take a man, who is touched with the fear of his sinnes, whose heart is broken, who has an apprehension of Gods wrath, and of his own unworthinesse, such a man now will be satisfied with nothing in the world, but the assurance of Gods love and his favor. As you see in naturall things, let a man be very weary, the daintiest meate in the world, whatever you give him, will not heale him; but he must have that which is fit for that particular defect, nothing will helpe him but rest. Againe, let a man be hungry, and faint for want of meate; all the musicke, the best ayre, or whatever you can give him will doe him no good, it must be meate that must helpe him. If a man have a disease, it is not sleepe, it is not meate and drinke, it must be a medicine that is fit for his disease. So it is with the heart of man, when his heart is so broken, so humbled and touched with the sense of his sinnes, that he longs after nothing but remission, nothing but the assurance of Gods favor, the assurance of his love and kindnesse, nothing will satisfie him but that: it is so in naturall defects, and so it is in the soul, when the heart of a man is so fashioned, that it lookes upon God as one agreeable to him, and there is nothing else sutable but onely the Lord, and his favor, and his love, that is required, to breede this love in you towards him. What is the reason else, that it is said, Hosea 5. ult. When they are afflicted they will seek me diligently. But because afflictions teach a man to know himself, it teaches him to know his own weaknesse, to see his own sinne, his own impotency, his own unworthinesse; and when he has done this, then he lookes upon God as one who onely is fit for him, as one who is onely able to helpe him. Affliction does but discover what was there before: For man is a weake and impotent creature, made for the Lord, he is nothing without the Lord, it is the conjunction with God that makes him up, onely he knowes not this, he understands not this. Therefore when God opens a mans eyes either by the immediate worke of his Spirit, to teach him to know himself, or by affliction, then he comes to seek after the Lord, when they are afflicted, they will seek me diligently. If you shouldest have such an offer as was made to those, Acts 2. Peter tells them there, they should have remission of sinnes, they should receive the gift of the holy Ghost; if this had beene offered to them before they knew themselves, before they had beene humbled and pricked at the heart, as it is said they were, would they have regarded such an offer as this? No they would not, although they had understood that offer never so well. So I say, though you know his name and his excellent attributes never so perfectly, yet till you come to know your selves too, you will never love him, you will never desire him, you will never long after him: for both these must goe together, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of our selves, to teach you to love him. The knowledge of God, without the knowledge of your selves, is a fruitlesse speculation: And againe the knowledge of your selves, and your own miserie, without the knowledge of him and his mercy, is a miserable vexation. The knowledge of God, without knowledge of your selves, is, as if a man should know a medicine, but should not know what defect it were fit to supply: And to know your selves and your own case, without him, is to have the disease discovered, and not to know how to helpe it. And therefore learne to know both God and your selves: If you will love him, then you must learne to studie those two. We say schollers studie bookes, and Politicians studie men; but a Christian should studie God and himself, to learne to know God and himself better, by this meanes he comes to know the Lord: as wherever you finde any love to the Lord expressed, you shall finde these two going together, as David oft, Psal. 18. and Psal. 116. I love the Lord, &c. Why? For I was in distresse, I was in griefe, the grave overtooke me, and I was compassed about with death, and I cried to the Lord, and he healed me, and set me at libertie, he is my fortresse, &c. That is, when David saw himself to stand in neede, he saw his weaknesse, and looked on God againe, as one that would helpe him, and heale him, as one that could set him at liberty; this caused him to say, I love the Lord dearely. So Paul, when he saw these two, I was a blasphemer, I was a persecuter, and looked on Christ, who had beene mercifull to him, with faith, this was that which caused Paul so to abound in love towards Christ. And so Mary, Luke 1. My soul does magnifie the Lord: And why? For he had respect to the low estate of his handmaid: I was poore and meane, and loe he has raised me to a high degree. This sutablenesse, this knowledge of God and of our selves is that which breedes in us a love of him. But is this enough now to know God and our selves? This is a faire step to beget in you this love of him; for as you heard before, love is an inclination of the heart to some good thing agreeable to us:

But yet you must have a third, or else this will not doe, that is, assurance of the Lords love to you: for if you long after him never so much, if you think him worthy to be desired; on the other side, yet if for all this you are not persuaded of the Lords love to you, you cannot be affected towards him. We cannot love any man whom we conceive to be ill affected to us: And therefore you shall see in the course of the Scriptures, love proceedes from faith, faith must beget love, that is, the assurance of Gods love must goe in: This is the third ingredient to make it up.

You will say to me, we doubt not of this, but if we be persuaded of Gods love, we shall love him; but how shall we come to this persuasion, how shall we assure our selves of his love?

Those to whom I should speake now are of two sorts; either such as are out of the Covenant, or such as are already within it. For you that are without, to you I say, you may, if you will consider it, come to the assurance of his love towards you.

For first, the Lord has made known his own willingnesse to take you to marriage. There are but two that are to give their consent, the Father to give his Sonne, and the Sonne to give his own consent: The Father, you know, has given his consent,Isay 9:6. A Sonne is given: He so loved the world, that he gave his Sonne. Therefore certainely you have the Fathers consent, he has given Christ, as a father gives his sonne in marriage. But now whether we have the Sonnes consent or no, of that we make question; says the Apostle, He loved us, and gave himself to us, and for us; indeed he not onely gives his consent, for his part, but he has purchased his wife with his own blood. And therefore you cannot doubt but that he is willing to marrie with you, to take you, and to receive you if you will come in. Why then, what is required now? Nothing at all but your consent, if you give your consent to the Lord, you needest not to question his favor, you maist assure your selfe of his unchangeable love in Jesus Christ; for he has revealed it on his part, in his word, you have his sure word for that, heaven and earth shall passe rather than that word. This is the sound consolation that will not faile you, when you come to examination, and think with your selves, upon what ground am I assured of Gods affection towards me, that he loves me: I have his word for it, he has said it, and he cannot recall it, indeed he has added his oath, that by two immutable witnesses you might have strong consolation; that is, that you might have the greatest degree of assurance that can be. Why, now, why doest not you give your consent? why doest you no more rest on it? You will say, alas I am willing to give my consent, if that would doe it.

But first, I am unfit to marry the Lord, I am not prepared for such a match as that is, my heart is too bad, and my life has beene too sinfull to think of such preferment and advancement.

Take you no care for that, the Lord knew your unfitnesse, when he made that promise to you, when he gave his Son; and the Sonne gave himself to you, he was well enough acquainted with you, and with your nature, he had an intention to marry a blackmoore, he justifieth the wicked, he knowes you are so, and yet he will doe it, he will put a fairenesse, he will put a beautie upon you, when you are his wife; therefore let not that hinder your unfitnesse.

You will say againe, it may belong to such and such, it does not belong to me; my case is such, I have provoked him in this manner, my sinnes are of such a nature.

This shall not shut you out neither. For why shouldst you make exceptions where the Lord makes none. Goe, Preach the Gospel to every creature under heaven. What is the meaning of that? That is, goe tell every man, without exception, whatever his sinnes be, whatever his rebellions be, go tell him this glad tidings; that is to preach the Gospel to him, that if he will come in, I will accept him, he shall be saved, his sinnes shall bee forgiven him, if he doe no more but come in, and take me and receive me. Therefore to conclude this, doubt not you that that shall be a hinderance on Gods part. And for your own part, there is no more requyred of you but sinceritie, that you take him, sincerely resolving to your selfe I will serve him for the future, I will be contented to be divorced from all my former loves, from all the sinnes that I have delighted in before, I am willing now to take him, and to serve him, and to love him, and to give my selfe wholly to him; I say, this sinceritie of resolution is enough, there can be no hindrance if this be found in you. Therefore doe not think with your selfe, I want sorrow for my sinnes, such a degree of sorrow, my heart is not broken enough, and therefore I am not fit: for you must know thus much, that the promise is made to the comming, and not to the preparations. If you canst come, and take the Lord, it is enough, if a man have so much sorrow, so much heart-breaking as brings him home to Christ, as makes him willing to match with the Lord: if he have that wrought in him, doubt he not of the other.

But now I come to the other, those that are already within the Covenant, to you I say, you may much more easily and fully come to this assurance, because you have the fruits of the Spirit in you, which are the seales of his love; you have cause to trust perfectly through the grace that is revealed in Jesus Christ: you know that exhortation, Trust perfectly to the grace revealed, &c. that is, in the free offer to every man by Christ; trust not in that by halves, remissively, and unperfectly, and weakly, but trust perfectly, be confident in that, that the Lord will thus receive you, trust perfectly in the grace revealed.

But, you will say, I commit many sinnes from day to day, I am negligent in many duties, I find much unevennesse in my life, many distempers in my affections, &c?

What if you finde all this in your selves? yet so long as your hearts are sincere, you must know this, that every breach, every offense does not breake the band of wedlocke betweene the Lord and you, you must not think there is a breach of covenant betweene God and you upon every [•]inne that is committed, but know that the Covenant holds good, till you come to choose another husband, the Lord continues your husband still. Therefore when you are married to the Lord, it is not for you to think then of questioning the match, but studie to please your husband, and to doe your dutie. You know, there may be many offences, and many slight breaches betweene a man and his wife, but the bond holds good, there is no bill of divorcement except it be in case of adultery, that she choose an other husband: so think, in such a case, the bond is not broken upon every offense, and every sinne that is committed. Learne to know this for your comfort, for it is a great matter to have this assurance full.

And besides consider this, think not with your selfe, because I have not attained such a degree of holinesse as another has, therefore I have none at all, that is an evil reason that discourageth the Saints, discourageth many times those that should be incouraged, that are already within the Covenant; he lookes on another, and sees he cannot reach him, he propounds to himself such a measure of grace and of holinesse, and of mortification of his lusts, and he cannot come neere it; and he thinkes, because I cannot doe this, I have no sincerity in me. Not so, there are degrees, when a man is within the doore, he may goe further and further, and though all may be within, yet one may be further in than another.

Besides all this, know that the Lord is faithful, he cannot denie himself, though you faile on your part, yet he continues the same, and renewes his mercy to you, as you renewest your repentance. But, to conclude this, if you would love the Lord, labour to doe these three things:

Labour to know him more:

Labour to know your selves more, that so you may long after him as after one that you neede.

And thirdly, labour to get this assurance, for it is this assurance that breedes the love, that seales it up; when a man shall looke on God as one who may hate him for any thing he knowes, who may be an enemie to him one day, he can never love him heartily: When a man has no ground to set his foote on, he will doe it tenderly and nearely; but when he lookes upon God as one whom he may trust, whose love he is sure of, that he builds on that as a rock, this is that which makes his heart perfect to him, when he can say, as Paul, I know whom I have trusted. If a man have never so much excellency in him, if you conceive him to be hollow-hearted to you, your affections are not perfect towards him; so is it, if you looke on God as one that may be your enemie As we say, friendship with Princes, it is like that familiarity that those men have with Lyons, that keepe them. A Lyon, you know, will suffer a man to play with him as long as he lists, and when he lists, he will rise and devoure him, and rend him in peeces; so I say, the love of a Prince may be, and the love of men may be: But the love of the Lord is not such, when he loves, he loves perfectly. It is true, he has the strength of a Lyon, he is able to doe it, you are weake creatures subject to him, but he has that constancie in him, that when he loves once, it is alwayes perfect, and unchangeable. Let all these be well considered and wrought on your hearts, and it will be a meanes to beget this love in you: Even as fire begets fire, so this will beget love in your hearts towards him againe. So much for this.

The second point, which I intend to handle at this time is this; another consectary, another use we are to draw from this doctrine, He that loves not, is not in Christ.

The next use is to exhort you to come in, if it be a thing of that moment, now our businesse is to exhort to love the Lord Jesus. And is there not much reason to move you to it? if you had this love in your hearts, would it not be a ground of much comfort to you? for if you were able to beleeve in Jesus Christ, and love him, you should have your salvation sure, if once you could finde this disposition in your selves, as it must be in you, if ever you be saved, that your hearts long after him, still you are growing towards him, hanging that way, as a stone to the center, as the iron to the loadstone, there is such a lingring after him, the heart makes towards him, and will have no deniall; but, as the woman of Canaan, it breakes through all impediments, no barre can keep it frō him: as those that love, they are not easily put off, but are importunate til they have obtained reciprocal affections of the party beloved.

I say, if you finde this disposition in your heart, it is the greatest consolation that you canst have in this world: for if this be your case, you maist boldly looke that the gates of hell shall not prevaile against you; and if you love the Lord in this manner, heaven and earth shall passe rather than your salvation shall be hindred: it is impossible, because then you have a good ground of hope, and hope will make you not ashamed, but be assured that God is your, and all that he can doe, and all that is his is your; as Paul tells us, his power, and his wisdome, and all is your: He is a Sunne and a shield to you, you shalt want nothing that is good, nothing that is evil shall hurt you, the Lord brings all with him: this is your case if that you doe love him, this is your consolation, this is that which may inflame your hearts with a desire of this affection. For know this, that there is scarcely any thing else that we can instance in, but an hypocrite may goe cheeke by jowle with a good Christian, in that he may doe all outward duties, he may abstaine from sinnes, there may be a great change in him, (you know how farre the third ground went, and those Heb. 6.) but this they cannot counterfeit, to love the Lord. Therefore, if you finde that you love the Lord, you have this consolation, that you are now sure, and indeed you are never till then sure. And as reason differenceth a man from a beast, so love makes the great difference betweene a Christian and an other. Indeed we say it is faith, but you know that faith is differenced by love, that is, such a faith that breedes love, and so love is it that breedes that great consolation. And therefore this is your comfort, if you canst once bring your heart to love the Lord, he will beare with any thing, he will beare with many infirmities, as, you know, he did with Dauid when he saw that he loved him. David had many great infirmities, as we see in the whole story, the whole relation of his life, yet because he loved the Lord, the Lord passed by all, and in the end he gave him this testimonie, that he was a man after his own heart. So I say, love the Lord once, and he will beare with much in you. On the other side, if you doe not love him, doe what you wilt, the Lord accepts it not. As we see in the case of Amaziah, it is said that Amaziah walked in all the wayes of his father David, and of the good Kings, he did as much as they, he was as great an enemie to idolatry, he did all the duties of religion, onely this was wanting, he did it not with an upright heart, that is, he did it not out of love, and therefore the Lord regarded it not. And therefore let this move you to get this affection; there is much, if I could stand to presse it, that might inflame your hearts with a desire of it: onely it is this love that sets a price on all that you doe, that makes all that you doe currant; as this stampe is set on your actions more or lesse, so they are more or lesse acceptable. This was that which set a price on the widdowes mite, that set a price on a cup of colde water; this set a price upon Abels offering, and made it more acceptable than his brothers: the meanest service when it has this stampe on it is currant and good in Gods sight, he accepts it: againe, the greatest performance without it, is nothing. And if you give your body to be burned, if you suffer martyrdome, if you give all your goods to the poore; doe what you wilt without love, it is nothing, your labour is lost: this love sets a price on all that you doest.

Besides this, consider, this is that that must stirre you up above all other arguments, that if you love the Lord, you shalt be no looser by it, in all other love a man seemes to be a looser, for, when you love an other, as you know it is no love except it bee fruitfull and actiue, when you bestowe on an other your time, and your paines, and your money, you know, you have so much the lesse your selfe: And therefore it is that men are so full of selfe love, because that ingrosseth all, a man in that keepes all to himself, when he comes to love an other, and partes with something of his own. And from there it is that men are so backward to love, in truth and in good earnest. They love in show and in complement, that is easie, but to love indeed is difficult, because it takes somewhat from them. But in loving the Lord, it is not so, there is a difference betweene that and other loves when you give the Lord your hearts, and bestowe them on him, he will give you them every [•]ot againe, and reserue not any for himself. You will aske me, what is the meaning of this? My meaning is this, whatever you bestowe on the Lord, all the love that you give to him, it reflectes and redoundes to your advantage, you gaine by it all: as we see, Isai 48:17. I am the Lord that teaches you to Profite for if you keepe my commandements, your reward, your prosperitie should be as a flood, and your rejoicing as the waves of the Sea. Marke it well, as if he should say to them, when I command you to serve me, and to love me with all your soul, and with all your strength, know, that all this is for your own profit, it shall all redound to you. For, if you keep my commandements, your prosperitie shall be as a floud, that is, it shall runne over the bankes, it shall be so large, and so great, and your righteousnes, that is, the reward of your righteousnes, as the waues of the sea, that is, one reward should follow upon the neck of an other, as one billow followes upon the neck of an other. This should be your case, says he, if you love me and keep my commandements, and serve me: And therefore says he, when I require your love and your service, herein there is a difference betweene that, & that which any man requires at your hands; all this is for your own profite, it redounds to your selues, your selves fare the better for it: as it is said of the Saboth, so I may say of this commandement, and all the rest, it was made for man, and not man for this, that is, for the profit of man, for the advancment of man, your loving the Lord is for your advantage, you gainest by it; as it is, Deut: 5:29. Oh, says he, that there were a heart in this people, to love me, and to fear me, as they have promised, then it should goe wellwith them, and their children after them. Not that I might be a gainer, and you lose, but that it might goe well with you and your children for ever. So, if you love the Lord, when you think with your selves, I shall be a loser by it, I shall lose much libertie, and much contentment and delight, I shall lose the giving satisfaction to many of my desires and lusts: No, you shalt lose none of this, though a man seeme to lose this when he gives his heart to the Lord, but you gainest all this, that is, the Lord gives you your heart againe, and gives you leave to dispose of it, he gives you leave to love your friends, to love your wife and your children, and even to love your recreations; he gives you leave to dispense and to distribute your heart to this or to that, as long as you doest it lawfully, onely you must doe it at his command.

Indeed, when we give our hearts to the Lord, he gives us not them againe onely, but he gives them much better than he received them, new painted, new beautified and new furnished, he gives them in a farre better condition: there is no man that loseth by giving his heart to the Lord, but he gives it him againe much better. As we say of vapours that arise out of the earth, the heavens returne them againe in pure water, much better than they received them, so will the Lord: if your heart ascend to him, your impure, your sinfull heart, the Lord will give it you better. As we say of earth, when the earth receives the sea water, and puddle water, it gives it better than it received it in the springs and fountaines; for it straines the water and purifies it, that whereas when it came into the bowells of the earth, it was muddy, salt, and brinish, it returnes pure, and cleane, and fresh, as, you know, the waters of the springs and fountaines are: so the Lord does with us; if you wouldest give your hearts desire, your affections to him, you shouldest have all againe, onely with this difference, your affections should be more pure, your thoughts, all the faculties of your soul should be renewed, and cleansed, and beautified, he would restore them better to you, but yet you shouldest have them; let it be your comfort. So that here is all the difference, take a man now that loves himself, and that thinkes with himself, Well, say what you will, I will goe mine own wayes, I will provide for mine own contentment in this life, I know not what I shall have after, I will looke to mine own profit: I say, compare this man with another, that resolves this with himself, Well, from hence I will deny my selfe, and crosse my selfe, and will seek no more my own contentment, nor to satisfie my own desires and lusts, but I will give my heart wholly to the Lord. The question now is, which of these are gainers? I say, the latter has as much liberty and as much power of his own heart, he shall have as much use of all that is within him, as the other has, that [•]akes it to himse[•]fe: all the difference is, the one [•]s an unjust owner, the second the Lord has made the steward of his own heart; so that the Lord has your heart, and yet it is your own heart, [•]hou maist dispose of it as a steward under your Master, you have it as before, onely now you doest it by his appointment, before it was at your own. Let all this therefore stirre you up to love the Lord.

You will say, indeed this is enough to persuade us to come in, to love the Lord, and we are contented to doe so; that is the answer which we shall have from most men. But now what kinde of love is it that we shall have at their hands?

My brethren, we must add this for a conclusion, that it is not every kind of love that the Lord accepts: but your love must have these two conditions in it. I will breefely name them and so conclude.

First, you must love him with all your hearts, and with all your soul, you know that is every where requyred in the Scriptures. That is, the Lord will have the whole streame of your affections, and desires, and intentions, and your endeavours to runne to him; there must not any riveret runne out of it, it must not be drained away, but the whole streame must all be bestowed upon him, there must be no division there, you must not say here, as he says, My Countrie, and my father, and my children, and my friends have a part in my love, but the Lord must have all, and there is good reason for it, because he bestowed all on you. It is in this love as it is in marriage, in that there is no corrivall admitted, but there must be all in all: for the husband must bestowe himself wholly on his wife, and the wife on the husband; so if you love the Lord, if the match be made betweene you, there is all in that equalitie; if the Lord bestowe all on you, and you should bestowe but halfe on him, there would be no equalitie, there would be an unennesse. But when you bestowe all on him, when you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, that makes the match betweene you.

You will say, the Lord does not bestowe himself wholly on me, he bestowes himself on many others, on many thousands besides me, and why should not I bestow my selfe on an other?

I answer, it is not so, the Lord bestowes himself wholly on you.Hos. 3, 3. it is a borrowed speech, I will be to you alone, & I will have you to be so to me; so the Lord says to every man, I will be alone to you, and you shalt be alone to me. I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine. This is the match that must bee betweene you. And when you say the Lord is not wholly yours, I say, he is, though he bestowe himself on many thousands besides. You will aske, how can that be? I say, that may be by reason of his infinitenesse; for that which is infinite has not parts, and therfore he bestowes not himself partly on one, and partly on an other, but he bestowes all upon every one: for he is infinite, and has no parts. To express my selfe by a similitude, a point has no parts, it is one indivisible, let a thousand lines come to one point, every one has the whole, and yet there is but one that answers all, because it is indivisible, and every one has all: So it is with the Lord, though there be many thousands that God loves, yet every one has the Lord wholly, he is to them alone, and he lookes for and expects this at your hands, that you shouldest be to him alone, that you bestowe your selfe wholly on him; thereupon all those words are put in, you shalt love your Lord with all your minde, with all your heart, with all your soul. The meaning is this, when all that is in a man is sett a worke to serve the Lord, when he looks to the Lord, when he inclines towards the Lord, that is, when the minde is set on worke to think on him, to remember his glorious workes, to have a right knowledge and opinion of him: againe, when the memory is set on worke to remember him, and not to forget his benefits, his statutes and his ordinances, and so the rest of his faculties. And therefore if we love the Lord, we will not doe this with our selves, to think I love him, and yet I will suffer my minde, in the meane time, to be exercised in contemplating of fornication; not to think, I love the Lord, and yet will suffer my memorie, in the meane time, to be recollecting injuries and breeding of them, and recalling my pleasant sinnes that are formerly past, that I should abhorre, you canst not love him and doe this. Againe, you must not say, I love him, and yet let your affections runne after this and that, but your whole heart must be bestowed on him: you must not think to love him, and to reserue your affections for this or that particular thing that you lovest inordinately, but you must bestow all these on the Lord.

The second thing required in this love, wherewith I will end, is this, that you love the Lord with all your might. You will say, what is the meaning of that, to love the Lord with all my might, and with all my strength? For the understanding of this, you must know that God has given different might and different strength to men; as a rich man has more might than another: for he can rule more, and sway more, and command more than a poore man can. Againe, a Magistrate, he can restraine by his power, and encourage men by his authority, and winne them, indeed compell them by his example. Againe, a learned man, that is of great parts, that is of a stronger wit than another, he has more might than another, he is able to doe more than a man of weaker parts. Now to love the Lord with all our might, is to improve all the meanes we have, all the strength, all the ability that we have above others, to improve it so, that we may serve the Lord with it more than others, that even as you exceedest any in these abilities, so you maist goe beyond them in serving the Lord: This is to love the Lord with all your might, that is, to love him so much more than a poore man, to bestow more on him, to doe more for him, as your riches make you more able, and more strong than another. For you to love him now as another man does that has lesse might, the Lord will not take this love at your hands; but will say to you as Landlords say to their Tenants, when they bring them lesse rent than they should, lesse than is due, they will receive none; for they say, so much is due. The Lord will require this, that you love him with all your might. If you be a rich man, if you be a Magistrate, if you be a man of such and such opportunities to serve the Lord, and doe but a little, he will not accept it at all: you must love the Lord with all your might, for God requires this at your hands, he leaves it not arbitrary. He says, To whom much is given, of him much shall be required. He says not, I leave it to him, to doe more or lesse, but I require it, that is, I will exact it according to the measure he has received. Therefore consider with your selfe, what meanes you have, what power God has put into your hands, what ability you have more than others. When you send a servant to market, as you give him a greater price, as you put more money into his hands, so you expect he should bring home more than another that has a lesse price put into his hands: So the Lord does with men, he sends men into the world, as men are sent to a market, he gives a larger price to some, to some he gives five talents, to some three, to some two, the Lord expects that they should bring home according to the price they have in their hands, that is, according to the might, according to the strength and opportunity he has given them. For, you must know, that the Lord observes an exact difference betweene man and man. It may be, you livest under better meanes than another, you have had better education than another, you have more knowledge in the wayes of God than another, the Lord has helped you more by the inward suggestions of his Spirit than another, he lookes that you shouldest bring forth more fruite than another. And so againe for all other abilities and advantages: the Lord expects at our hands that we love him with all our might, otherwise, says he, you might have given my money to the exchangers, and they would have made use of it. Marke that in the Parable of the Talents; for a man will be ready to say, if I bestow some love on the Lord, why should he exact & require the utmost, why does he require so much at my hands? Yes, says he, if another had this might, if another had this strength, and this opportunity that you have, he would have done as exchangers doe, he would have brought it in with profit; so if that ability were given to another, he would make use of it: And therefore think not much, if he require it at your hands, for there is losse if he should not. Therefore know that the Lord requires this at your hands, it may be you are more composed, and more disposed than another, it is nothing for you to abstaine from drinking, to abstaine from swearing, because you are framed this way by naturall ingenuity, and naturall temper that God has given you, it is not that the Lord requires no more, but that you live soberly, free from grosse sinnes: No, God lookes for more, he requires of every man according to his strength and ability. As, you know, a childe may runne, and another man may walke, the childe takes more paines, the man lesse; it the reward were to be given according to the endeavour, the child should have it, though he that walkes come to the goale before him.

A man that is weake may not doe so much as another that is strong, and able to doe ten times as much worke as another man that is weake; though you doe more worke than he, this is not accepted, because he lookes that every man should doe his utmost, he requires that you should love him, and serve him, and set your selves to improve all your ability according to the might, according to the Talent, according to the price he has distributed and measured to you.

So much for this time.

FINIS.