The Breastplate of Faith and Love, Part 3 · Sermon 4
THE FOVRTH SERMON.
GALLAT. 5.6.
For in Iesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but Faith which worketh by Love.
THE last thing that wee did was to shew you what were the properties of true love, that by them you might try your selves whether you love the Lord Iesus or no: we went through five in the morning, we now proceede.
6Property of love, it is like fire in 4 thingsAnother property of love is this, it is full of heate: therefore in Cant. 8. it is compared to coales of juniper: Cant 8.and that phrase is used in Mat. 24.5.Mat: 24, 5. Iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall waxe colde. That antithesis shewes that love is a hot thing, hot as fire. Therefore if you would know whether you love the Lord Iesus or no, consider what heat and what fire there is in you.
Now what are the properties of fire? wherein doth love and that agree?
Fire, you know, is the most active of all the elements; colde benummes a man, and is the greatest enemie to action: if thou love the Lord Iesus, thou shalt finde thy love will have that property of fire to set all on worke on thee; it will set thy tongue on fire, and thy hands on fire, and thy head and heart on fire, every thing that is within thee will be working, and doing some service or other to the Lord. When a man wanteth love, hee is as a man benummed, as a man frozen in his dreggs, not apt to any thing: the more a thing is like to fire, the more aptnesse, and the more activenesse; so the more love, the more aptnesse and readinesse to every good worke: where there is no love, there men are reprobate to every good worke.
Besides, love as it is very active, so it is very quicke, as fire is of a quicke nature. Therefore we say that love hates nothing so much as delayes, and it is in this like to fire, which is the quickest of all the elements. Consider of this therefore; Art thou speedy in thy executions? if thou love the Lord, thou wilt not deferre and put off from day to day any thing that is to bee done, thou wilt not say with thy self, I wil change my course of life, but not yet: no, if thou love the Lord, thou wilt doe it presently.
Besides love agrees with fire in this, that it is earnest and vehement: and indeede I take it, that in that regard it is chiefly compared to fire. For fire, as it is of a quicke, so it is of a vehement nature, and so is love. Looke what a man loves, upon that he bestowes the top of all his affections, and the maine strength of his intentions run that way. Examine by this therefore whether thou love the Lord or no. If thou love the Lord Iesus, thou wilt look upon other things, as things that thou regardest not much, thou wilt grieve for them as if thou grievedst not, and rejoyce as if thou rejoycedst not, thou wilt use the world as if thou usedst it not, thy heart will be taken up about Christ, and about the things that belong to the kingdome of God, thy intentions will be set upon the things that belong to the service of God, and thy owne salvation. This is a thing by which you may plainly discerne the truth of your love: examine therefore what it is upon which you bestow the maine and the top of your intentions. Indeed, my brethren, the greatest things that the world hath are not worthy of the toppe and strength of our affections; for they are but trifles. Therefore if you love the Lord Iesus, if you prize him aright, and be righ…ly affected towards him, you will esteeme nothing great, but the enjoying of his favour, and nothing of worse consequent than the losse of it, nothing will be of any great moment to you, but onelyonly sinne, and grace; sinne that displeaseth him, and grace that brings you into favour with him: as for other things, you will looke upon them as trifles, you will not put the strength of your mindes to any thing else; this is the nature of love, it is vehement toward the thing that it loveth.
Moreover, it hath also this property of fire, that it is still aspiring, it is still enlarging it selfe, still growing on, assimulating, and turning every thing into its owne nature, it is overcomming and is not ready to be overcome: Which propertie of fire is noted in that place I spake of in the morning, Much water cannot quench it, it is as strong as death: Now death, you know, overcomes all; so will love, it will breake through all impediments. Consider whether you finde this disposition in your selves, that your hearts are still drawing nearer and nearer the Lord, that they are still aspiring up towards heaven, that you are still going onward and thriving in the worke of grace.
But that which of all other things will manifest most to us this affection of love,7Property of love, it commandeth the affections, especially anger and feare. it is those affections which depend on it; you shall know it, I say, by the affections that hang upon it. It is true that all the affections depend upon love, but, for this time, I will instance but in two, namely,
Anger, and
Feare.
Looke whatsoever it is that a man loveth, where he findes any impediment in the prosecution of it, hee is angry, hee desires with as much earnestnesse to remoove that impediment, as hee loves the thing.
Take any man even of the mildest disposition, if in any thing that hee loveth much, and intendeth much, there be an intercurrent impediment that shall interrupt him, he is angry, though otherwise he be of a most meeke disposition. For anger is but earnestnesse to remove the thing out of the way that hinders us: whatsoever a man loveth, hee is angry with the impediments that hinder him in it. Come now and examine your love to the Lord by your anger: that anger that proceedes from love to the Lord, we call zeale: will you professe that you love the Lord, and yet your hearts are not moved when he is dishonoured? Thinke with thy selfe when thou art wronged in thy name, or some body miscalleth thee, misreports of thee, and prosecutes thee with evill speeches and revilings, is not thy wrath kindled in thee against such a one? Well, if thou love the Lord Iesus as thy selfe, as thou oughtest to love him above thy selfe, why are not thy affections stirred in thee, when thou hearest him dishonoured, when thou knowest that his Name is ill spoken of? If a man should take from thee thy wealth, or any thing that is deare to thee; if a man should come and violate thee with ill tearmes, thou wouldest be angry with him, and be ready to flie in the face of such an one. If you be thus affected to the Lord, and to his glory, why doe you not doe the like for him? You know, David did the same: Mine eyes gush out (saith he) with rivers of water because men keepe not thy Law. Therefore know that, if you finde not your hearts affected with the things that belong to God, that there is no anger stirred up, it is a sure argument that you love him not. It is observable that is said of olde Ely, 1 Sam. 4.3.1 Sam. 4.3. when newes was brought him that the Israelites were fled, that moved him not so much when it was tolde him; morever that there was a great slaughter among the people, that stirred him not neither; when it was tolde him yet that his two sonnes Hophni and Phineas were slaine, yet this did not so much affect him; but when it was tolde him that the Arke of the Lord was taken, the text noteth something more than ordinary, that hee was so stirred with it, that he fell from his seate, & it cost him his life. Can you find this affection in your selves, that you are not moved with the death of childrē so much, or for the losse of your goods, or for your owne particular discontents, as when you shall heare that the glory is departed from Israel, that religion suffers any eclipse in any place, that the Gospell of Iesus Christ is hindred? This is a thing that will try your love to the Lord. If you finde that you can heare of the desolation of the Churches, and of the increase and growing of Poperie, and yet you doe not take it to heart to be affected with it, you doe not grieve for it, it is a signe that you want love to the Lord. You know what is noted of them in Ierem. 36.24. when the King had done an abominable action,Ier. 36.24. that hee had cut the roll insunder that Ieremiah gave him, and cast it into the fire that was upon the hearth before him, it is sayd that those that were about him, did not rent their clothes, nor petition to him &c. As if hee should say; in this they discovered a wonderfull want of love to the Lord, and to his cause, that they were not moved with this dishonour, that was offered to God, and to his servant, and to the cause of Religion at that time. You know what disposition Paul had in this case Act. 17. He observed that the place,Act. 17. where he was, was given to Idolatry, the text saith, His spirit was stirred in him, his zeale and his anger was kindled in his breast. Therefore consider what your affections to the Lord are by this holy anger that is in you. Moses you know, was the meekest man vponupon the earth, and yet you know how he was mooved, how his zeale was kindled in his breast, when he saw the idolatry of the people.
In the next place consider your feare: For if you love the Lord, it will cause you to feare and tremble at his word, and at his judgements, for whom a man loves much, he regards much, and when a man regards another much, he is much affected with what he doth; Now when the Lord shall shew some tokens of his wrath, those that love him, and esteeme of him, those that prize him, cannot but be affected. Shall the Lyon roare, and shall not the beasts of the field tremble? Consider, how you are affected therefore,These sermons were preached in the time of the great pestilence. 1625. when the Lord shall discover any expression of his wrath, and what doth hee else in this stroake, which is now vponupon this place; is there not wrath gone out from the Lord? You know the plague is more particularly Gods hand, then any other affliction: Therefore David saith when he chose the plague, that he would choose to fall into the hands of God, intimating that, in that buysinesse, God was in a more peculiar manner the doer of it. As the thunder is sayd to be the voyce of the Lord, so the plague may properly be sayd to be the stroake of the Lord, more peculiarly than any other affliction. Consider therfore what your affections are in this case: for my beloved, let it not be in vayne to you, that the Lord stretcheth forth his hand as hee doth now at this time among vsus. It is but yet in the beginning, and what is the Lords meaning in it? Is it not as a messenger sent vponupon an errand? If it had its answer, if that were done, for which the Lord had sent it, would he not remoue it againe? Would he not bid the destroying Angell to put up his sword into his sheath? Doubtlesse he would, if you would doe that at the beginning of this sicknesse that must be done before the Lord will remoove it from you.
You will say,Quest. what shall we doe then? I beseech you consider what commonly is the cause of a plague among vsus.Answ. Consider what hath ben the cause of the plague in former times.Causes of the plague. You shal finde in Numb: 25.Numb. 25. two causes of the plague. One was the superstition and Idolatrie of the people, they begann to be yokt with Idolatrie, They joyned themselues to Baal Peor. I confesse that sinne was not yet growne to any great height, it was but yet in the beginning, in the seedes, and yet you know how the Lord was offended with them.
And the second was fornication, the sinne of vncleanes that was cōmitted. It is not likely that all the people fell into that sinne of Idolatry, or into the sinne of Fornication, but yet the Lord was offended with the whole Congregation for those that did it, as the manner is to be. So here you see two causes of a plague, Idolatry which was but beginning, and the very admitting it into the Campe; and the Fornication of the people.
Another cause of the plague you shall find in Davids numbring the people, it was their securitie and pride, and trusting to themselves, and the creatures: for surely it was not Davids sinne only (who had somewhat forgotten God, and trusted to his mountaine, & thought that that was strong enough) but it was the sinne of the people.
It is good (my beloved) to be secure out of confidence vponupon God, and therein, the more securitie the better; but to be secure for any outward help, either in the number of men or ships, or strength or policie, or because we are compassed about with the walls of the Sea, or whatsoeever it is wherein wee thinke our safetie consisteth, the more confidence in this the worse. The Lord smott the people for this security in Dauids time.
Another cause is, the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament. Many are sicke among you (saith the Apostle) and many are dead, because you receive the Sacrament unworthily. The Lord is pleased to punish that particular sinne of receiving the Sacrament unworthily, with some sicknesse or other, whether the plague or no, we cannot say, but this we may be sure of, that this was the cause why so many were sicke and dead. You know that passage in the booke of Chronicles concerning Ezekias, when the people had not prepared themselves aright as they ought, hee prayed to the Lord, and it is said, The Lord healed the people: we cannot say what the Lord healed them of, but yet it makes it evident that the Lord had some way smitten thē. Moses for the omission of the Sacrament the Lord would have slaine him, that is, he would have sent something upon him, whether some disease, as is most probable, or some other thing which should have taken away his life in the end. The omission and negligent receiving of the Sacrament I put together, which mooveth God to anger, and to inflict plagues upon a people.
I will name yet one more besides these, and that is the coldnesse and deadnesse of their hearts who belong to the Lord, from whom he expects better things, and more zeale, which I gather hence: What was the reason that the zeale of Phineas stayed the plague? Numb. 25.Numb. 25. Because his love was hot, and his anger was kindled in a holy manner against that Israelitish man, and the Mid…anitish woman, that had committed fornication among the people. If the zeale of Phineas was the cause of staying that plague, and of withholding the Lords hands, then surely the coldnes of those from whom the Lord lookes for much heate, for much fervency of spirit, whom God expects should stand in the gappe, I say, that is the cause that the Lord goes on in punishing.
Quest.But what should we doe now to remove it?
Answ.Amend the things that are amisse, repent and amend, and he will turne from his fierce wrath, which he not onelyonly intendeth against us, but is also already upon us; Labour to cleanse your hands from idolatry and superstition, and cleanse the land from the crying sinne of uncleannesse and fornication, and every man labour to cleanse his owne heart.
And againe, to turne to the Lord, to take heede of security, which is a forerunner of a ruine, as a great calme is a forerunner of an earthquake.
Againe, take heed of receiving the Sacrament unworthily, many of you this day have received; therefore I should speake something particularly to them, but in truth this concernes all among us; but chiefly let me speake to those a little that are able to pray, that have some fire in them, that have had the worke of grace in their hearts wrought by the Spirit of God, that have some sparkes if they were blowne up, that are men fit to stand in the gap; It belongs to you, my brethren to doe something that the Lord may stay his hand: and remember that when the Lord begins to send forth tokens of his wrath and displeasure against a Nation, it is a time wherein he expects and lookes for humiliation and repentance: Therefore take heede of neglecting that in Isay 22.Isay 22. In that day (saith the Lord) when I called for humiliation, beholde killing of fatlings and oxen, &c. Therefore know what your dutie is, and learne now to see what belongs to you to doe, shew your love to the Lord in trembling at his judgements, in being zealous for his Names sake: as indeed where there is abundance of love there is alwayes exceeding much zeale: So it was with Paul, so it was with Elias, so it was with Moses, so it hath beene with all the Saints. And so much for this.
Another property of love is this,8Property of love, it doth things freely. that it doth not play the huckster with the Lord (as wee say) it doth not bring things to an exact account, but when a man loveth, hee is willling to doe what offices of love and friendship he can, and he doth not stand to looke for an exact recompence; (for that is to play the huckster, to make a bargaine with God) but the nature of love and true friendship, wheresoever it is found, is this, to be free in doing that it doth, and not to stand to examine how much they shall doe, and how much they shall receive for doing of it; but to doe it with liberty and with freedome. And so it will be if your love be right to the Lord, you will not stand halfepeny-worthing, you will not stand considering what you are bound to doe of necessitie, whether you are bound to pray in your families or no, whether you are bound to keepe the Sabboth so exactly and precisely as is commanded; whether you are bound from giving so much liberty to your selves in vaine speeches, &c. but love will rather say, what shall I doe to recompence the Lord? It will be devising what to doe, it will be glad of any occasion of doing any thing that may be acceptable to God. When you set limits to your selves, and are afraid of going too farre, and doing too much, it is a signe that what you doe commeth not from love to the Lord, but from some naturall principle, it comes from your selves, and not from the spirit. For if you love the Lord Iesus aright, why doe you not labour to exceed in the duties of obedience? why doe you blame those that goe further than your selves are willing to doe? why doe you quarrell with that exactnesse and precisenesse, and strictnesse which is required in walking in the wayes of God? Love is abundant in the worke it doth, and if you love the Lord, you will not set limits to your selves, you will not have such thoughts as these, I will doe as much as may bring mee to heaven, and no more, I will take so much paines as that I may not be damned, but to exceede, and doe more than needes, this I hope may be spared, and I may goe to heaven notwithstanding well enough, though I goe not so fast as other men. No, Beloved, if there be love in you, you will strive to doe the utmost of your power, it is the nature of love so to doe.
Againe, you will not be so exact, nor indent with the Lord what hee will doe to you; but though the Lord be slow and slacke in rewarding you, though he stay long, and suffer you to goe on without taking any notice of you, as it were, nay perhaps hee gives you many afflictions and persecutions, poverty, trouble, sicknesse, &c. though the Lord doth not doe what you expect, yet your love will be free, it will goe on, you will be ready to say as Paul did, I know whom I have trusted: that is, he was resolved to serve the Lord, to doe his utmost, though the Lord did reserve himselfe and the recompence of reward to a further time, yet he was content. Such a disposition will be found in those that love the Lord Iesus.
Again you may judge of your love to the Lord Iesus by another property of love,9Property of love, hatred of sinne. which is a hatred of sinne, by your hatred of that which is contrary to him; for love is not better knowne by any thing than by hatred; for all hatred is properly rooted in love: for you hate nothing but because you love the contrary; therefore if you love the Lord Iesus, you will hate sinne. Examine your selves by this, for it is a sure rule, if you love the Lord, you will hate that which is evill.
You will say,Object. I hope I doe that.
It is well if you doe,Answ. but let us consider that: it may be you may be angry with sinne, but doe you hate sinne? That was the commendations that the Lord gives the Church, in Rev. 2. Thou hatest the works of the Nicholaitans which I also hate. Rev. 2.Therefore, if you would know whether you love the Lord Iesus, try it by this, doe you hate sin?
You will say, How shall wee know whether we hate it or no?
Answ.In these three things you shall finde wherein hatred differs from anger,Three differences betweene hatred and anger. and thereby you may examine your selves.
First, hatred is more of generalls; a man hates all drunkards, if he hate drunkennesse: hee hates all toads and all serpents, if hee hate poyson. A man is angry with this or that particular, but hatred is of all. I would aske thee, doest thou hate all sinne, every thing that is called sinne, all that belongs to sinne? If it be this or that sinne that you make against, you are but angry with sinne, you doe not hate sin: for hatred fals alwaies upon the generall. Examine therefore if you finde this disposition in your hearts, that you hate every sinne, that your hearts rise against every thing that is sinfull, whatsoever is contrary to the Lord, whatsoever you apprehend under the notion of sin, that you hate, and resist, and strive against; this is a signe that you love the Lord.
Secondly, hatred desires the utter destruction of the thing it hates, anger doth not so, anger desires but a revenge proportionable to the injurie: therefore we say there is a kinde of justice in anger, it would not have the party that it is angry with to be destroyed, but it would have him sensible of its displeasure, it would have something done that might answer the injurie that is offered; but hatred desires the destruction of a thing utterly. Now doe you doe so with your sinnes? doe you desire to have them wholly extirpate and rooted out of you? to have your lusts thorowly and perfectly mortified? are you willing to have sinne so cleane taken away, that you may have any no libertie to have dalliance with it in any kind? do you hate it so as that you cannot endure to come neere it, nor to have it within your sight? It is a signe you hate it indeed.
Lastly, hatred differeth from anger in this, that it is implacable: hatred comes from judgement, and it continues, and therefore hatred is not a passion, but we call it an affection; it is a beautie, and disposition, and frame of the will; anger is a passion that dies, and flittes away after a time; but hatred continues. Is your disposition such to your sinnes? examine your selves; nothing is more frequent, my brethren, than to be humbled for some sinne, which amazeth you for the present, but doth your hatred continue? If not, you doe but fall out with your sinnes onelyonly, and grow friends with them againe. If you did hate them, as you should, you would never returne to amity with them more.
Many a man takes resolutions to himselfe, I will be drunke no more, I will be a gamester no more, I will not commit such, and such grosse sinnes, as I have done any more; perhaps some shame, or some feare hath followed him, some deepe apprehension of wrath and judgement, which set him vponupon this resolution for the present; but if the heart be right that thou hatest sin as thou shouldest, thou wilt continue hating of it. Therefore consider, whether you love the Lord Iesus by this triall, whether your hearts hate sin, in your constant resolution or no. This was the disposition that was in Lot, His righteous soule was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomits, that is, he did not onelyonly abstaine from the actes that they did, but his soule wrought against them, he was vexed with them, as a man is vexed with a thing that is contrary to his disposition.
So it is sayd of Moses, he stood in the doore of the Tabernacle, and he wept as he stood, his heart was mooved in him. It is not enough to abstaine from sinne, but to hate sinne, and that is an argument of our love to the Lord Iesus: take this therefore for an other triall of your love.
Againe, there is one more which wee cannot leave out,10Property, it loveth the Saints. though it be a thing knowne unto you, yet because the Scripture gives it as a peculiar signe by which we may judge of our love to the Lord, it must not be passed by, and that is our love to the Saints; and there is good reason given of it, if we consider it well, 1 Ioh. 4.20. Wilt thou say thou lovest God whom thou hast not seene, 1 Iohn 4.20, opened.and yet lovest not thy brother whom thou hast seene? The meaning is this, for a man to love the Lord who is immortall, invisible, who dwelleth in light inaccessible, is a more difficult thing than to love thy brother whom thou seest. For why doe wee love the Lord, but because we conceive him under such a notion? we thinke of him as such a God having such and such attributes: Now, saith the Apostle, whatsoever thou conceivest of God, that very image and disposition is stamped on man like thy selfe, thou shalt see the very same disposition in a holy man that is in the Lord himselfe. Indeed it differeth in the degree exceedingly, there is but a glimpse of it, yet why is it said that the Image of God is renewed, but that there is in holy men a disposition like the nature of God? Now this is in a more remisse degree in man, and therefore more sutable to our weaknesse; as you know, difficulty comes from disproportion, it is a harder thing to love the Lord than a man like our selves. If therefore wee doe not love men like our selves, in whom is stamped a disposition like the nature of God, and his Image, in some degree, surely we cannot love the Lord who is so farre above us.
Againe, a man like our selves is visible, we see his actions, we heare him speake, we know more plainly the frame of his disposition; and therefore it is more easie to love a holy man than to love the Lord: For so is the Apostles argument. Doe not thinke that thou lovest the Lord whom thou never sawest, when thou doest not love thy brother whom thou seest daily. Therefore wee may conclude thus much, if we love not the Saints and holy men, it is certaine we love not the Lord.
I confesse every man is ready to say (in this case) he loves holy men.
I would put you to this tryall,4Tryalls of our love to holy men. and aske you but this question; you shall know it by this: Doe you love all the Saints? You shall finde that the Apostle Paul still in his Epistles puts in that caution, Love to all the Saints. If thou love grace and holinesse, thou wilt love it wheresoever it is. Many men will love some particular grace, especially when it suteth with their disposition, and is agreeable to them, and to their constitution, but to love all grace, to love all holinesse in all the Saints wheresoever it is found, it is an infallible signe that thou lovest the Lord Iesus.
Againe, doest thou love none but them; that, where grace is, thou lovest, and where it is not, thou withdrawest thy love?
But, you will say, would you have us to love none but the Saints? I answer, it is true, wee ought to love all others with a love of pitty, wee should shew abundance of this love to all mankinde; but then there is a love of complacencie and delight, and with this love we ought to love none but the Saints.
Againe, thirdly, doe you love them as they excell in holinesse? many men can love one that hath but some degree of grace; but if it be one that hath more exactnes than ordinarie, that hath proceeded higher in holinesse than he thinkes requisite, here his heart is readie to quarrell, and to rise against him.
Lastly, doe you manifest your louelove by delighting in their companie, and by the fruites of love towards them? You may professe much, and say much, but of all other things companie is the worst dissembled. Will you professe that you louelove the Saints, and that you delight in them, and yet desire to be in any company rather than in theirs? that when you are among them, you are as if you were out of your element, you move as if you were out of your owne center? It is impossible but that those that are moved by the same spirit should be best pleased when they are in one and the same society. Put all these things together, and by these you may judge whether you love the Saints or no.
You will object,Object. I doe love the Saints, but who are they? I love not hypocrites, and so it is made a notable excuse.
I will not wish thee to love hypocrites,Answ. onelyonly take heede thou suffer not the impes and instruments of the Divell to paint out the true Saints unto thee in the colours of hypocrites: thou must consider that it hath beene the usuall manner to cast that aspersion upon all the Saints, upon all holy men in all ages, as the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. We are as deceivers though true: 2 Cor. 6.that is the common esteeme that the world hath of the Saints, they judge them to be deceivers, and to be men that professe themselves to be otherwise than they are. You know what was said of Iesus Christ, some said of him he was a good man, others said nay, he was a deceiver of the people. You know what was said of David, that he was a subtle man, one that went about to deceive others. Paul, you know, was reckoned the great impostor of the world; this was alwayes laid upon the Saints: therefore let not the Divells instruments deceive thee in that.
Besides, why are they hypocrites? Is it because there are some shewes of holinesse in them? Surely that is not argument enough.
Thou wilt say, because they doe not answer that which in their profession they make shew to be?
If that be the reason, why doest thou not pitch thy hatred upon those that are found to be so? And to conclude this, you must know, that no man speakes against religion or hates religion, under its owne notions, under its owne name, but something else must be put upon it, the name of hypocrisie, or the like.
And it is the common condition of men whose hearts are not upright, that they are not able to judge aright of the wayes of God; a man that hath not grace himselfe cannot possibly judge aright of grace in others: but I hasten. I must now proceede in the point I formerly began to insist on, namely, in shewing you the meanes of getting this love, and of increasing it.
I shewed formerly somes meanes to get this love and to increase it.
As first prayer, for it is the gift of the Spirit.
Secondly, to beseech the Lord to shew himselfe to you.
We will add but one now at this time, to shew you the way more fully to obtaine this love.
If you would love the Lord,Two impediments of the love of Christ. remove the impediments.
What are those?
They are two.
Strangenes, and uncircumcision of heart, or worldly mindednesse.
First,1Strangenes. strangenesse is agreat impediment to love. It is an observation that the Philosophers hath, that strangenes when we doe not salute, and converse one with another, is a meanes of dissolving friendship; so in this case, when there growes a strangenesse betweene God and vsus, it unties and loosens that love and communion that should be betweene us. Therefore, if you would preserve your love to the Lord, suffer not your hearts to sit loose from him, suffer not a strangenes to grow betweene God and you. For strangenesse breeds fearfulnesse, and fearefulnesse looseneth love, as boldnesse is the parent and nurse of love, and that which increaseth it.
Besides, when there growes a strangenesse betweene God and us, wee begin not to know the Lord, there growes an ignorance, and so there is an intermission of those reciprocall offices of love betweene us; that even as it is among the Saints, the forsaking of their fellowship looseneth their love, and so stoppeth the intercourse of good duties that should be among them: so it is with the Lord. And therefore if you would maintaine love with the Lord, draw neare to him, and he will draw neare to you.
How shall we doe that?Quest.
By speaking much to him,Answ. by hearing him speake to us, by retiring to him upon all occasions for consolation and comfort.
If thou receive any injurie from men, wrangle not with them, but doe as David did, betake thy selfe to prayer, take heede of sinne, for that of all other things will breede a strangenesse betweene God and thee; and if you doe fall out, seeke to be reconciled againe as soone as may be, labour to entertaine a continuall commerce betweene God and thy selfe, observe constantly his dealing with thee, and observe againe thy carriage towards hm, this will breede a familiarity betweene God and thee.
And above all, be much in prayer; for that in a speciall manner maintaines and increaseth this communion and familiaritie betweene the Lord and thee.
2Vncircumcision of heart.Againe, the other thing that hinders is uncircumcision of heart, or worldly-mindednesse: in Deut. 30.6.Deut. 30.6. I will circumcise your hearts, and you shall love me with all your soules, and with all your hearts. As if he should say, that which keepes you from loving me, from delighting in mee, is the uncircumcision of your hearts, that is, your worldly lusts, and worldly cares, and worldly desires, when these abound in our hearts, they keepe us from loving the Lord: Therefore in 1 Iohn 2.1 Iohn 2. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. Come to any particular, and you shall finde it so; if you love wealth, you cannot love the Lord, if you love pleasures, if you love praise with men, if you love honours, &c. you cannot love the Lord; the love of God, and vaine glorie, the love of God and covetousnesse will not stand together. Therefore if you will love the Lord, you must have your hearts circumcised, that is, you must have these sinfull lusts cut off; for nothing quencheth love so much as these. You know, the love of an adulterer quencheth the conjugall love of the wife to the husband: your love of the world is adulterie, the Scripture calls it so; therefore if you love that, it will quench your love to the Lord.
You will say,Quest. May we not love the things of the world?
Yes, my brethren,Answ. onelyonly take heede that it be not an adulterous love.
How shall we know that?Quest.
You shall know it by this,Answ. if it doe lessen your love to God:When love to the creature is adulterous. You may know whether your love to any creature, to any sport or recreation be adulterous or no. A chast wife may love many men besides her husband; but if it once begin to lessen her love to her husband, that is an adulterous love: Therefore if you would love the Lord aright, be sure to cut off this, for it breedes a distance betweene God and you. As it is said of Absolom, when the hearts of the people went with Absolom, they fell from David the King; so when our hearts are stollen away with the love of earthlie things, our love to the Lord is lessened with it. Therefore I say, if you will love the Lord aright, you must be carefull to remove this: for the cares of the world, the lusts and diverse pleasures, these choake the love of the Lord, they are the greatest quench-coales of any other.
LoueLove, you know, is of an uniting qualitie, when any thing lieth betweene God and us,Note. that, you may be sure, will hinder our love. Now there are many things that lye betweene God and us.
Some things lie in our understandings, temptations to atheisme, temptations to thinke that the Scriptures are not true, temptations to judge amisse of God in any thing, temptations to doubt of the favour of God; These lie in the understanding betweene God and us, and are contrary to love: for love uniteth.
But in the will there lyeth much more, sometimes vaine hopes, sometimes vaine feares, sometimes one thing, sometimes another. If there be any inordinate lust after any creature, after any thing in the world, it lieth betweene God and us, and makes a separation betweene us; and till that be removed, God and we cannot come together, till there be an union wee cannot fully love. Therefore if you would love the Lord, have your hearts circumcised, that is, have those things removed out of your understanding, and out of your will. Take away those obstacles that lie betweene God and you: And if you cannot doe it your selves, goe to Christ, it is he that circumciseth us with the circumcision made without hands.
Knowledge of God especiall helpe to make us love him.Againe, when you have done this, that you may grow in love to the Lord, learne to know the Lord; for the more you know him, the more you will love him. What is the reason that the Angels in heaven so love him? Because they know him. What is the reason that we shall love him more in heaven than wee doe now, but because we shall know him more? Therefore when you reade the Scriptures, and observe the works of Gods providence in every particular, learne by this to know God: as you know a man by his actions and carriage, learne to have such an Idea of God, as he hath described himselfe in his word, that hee is true of his word, that hee is full of goodnesse, that he is abundant in long-suffering and patience, that hee is exceeding mercifull beyond measure, &c. labour to see his wisdome, his goodnesse, and his merciemercy, labour to know God: for when you come to know him aright, by that we come to love him. Why doe wee love one man more than another, but because wee conceive him under such a notion, wee conceive his heart to be of such and such a frame, wee thinke him to be a man of such and such a condition? when we thus conceive the Lord, it will teach us to love him more. Therefore this you must know, that for you onelyonly to looke upon things that are beneficiall to you, as forgivenesse of sins, and adoption, and an inheritance in heaven, that is not love to the Lord. It is true, you should doe all this, but that which you are principally to doe, is to looke to the essence of God, to see such excellencies in him, that thereby you may be led home to him: and therefore that you may know him the better, you must be taught of him. Againe, you must not onelyonly know him, but you must likewise have assurance of his love to you: for when you know the excellencies of the Lord, unlesse you have assurance of his love to you, it is not sufficient. Take a man of the highest place, and of the most excellent quality; if thou conceive that he hath a hollow heart towards thee, thou canst not possibly love him: thou must be perswaded of the love of the Lord to thee. Therefore in the Text it is said to be faith which worketh by love. The increase of the assurance of Gods love therefore is the meanes to increase thy love to him.
So much for this time.
FINIS.