Two Treatises, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Opening the sixth and last Chamber, viz. The Love of God, as a resting place to believing Souls in evil times.
SECT. I.
THough all the Attributes in the name or Chambers of this house of God are glorious, and excellent; yet this of love is transcendently glorious: Of this room it may be said as it was of Solomon's royal Chariot, Cant. 3. 10. The midst thereof is paved with love. In this Attribute the glory of God is signally and eminently manifested, 1 Iohn 4. 9, 10. And upon this foundation the hopes and comforts of all Believers are built and founded, Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, … persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? He defies and despises them all, because neither of them alone, nor all together by their united strength, can unclasp the arms of Divine Love, in which Believers are …afely enfolded. In this Attribute Gods people by Faith entrench themselves, and of it a Believer saith, Hic murus a…enus esto, this shall be my strong hold and fortress in the day of trouble, and well may we so esteem and reckon it, if we consider,
1. That wherever the special love of God goes, there the special presence of God goes also, Iohn 14. 23. He shall be loved of my father, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. And O how secure and safe must those be (however times govern) with whom God himself maketh his abode! For as the Psalmist speaks, Psal. 91. 1. He that dwells in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. And he that is overshadowed by an Almighty power, needs not fear how many mighty enemies combine against him.
2. Wherever the special love of God is placed, that person becomes precious and highly valuable in the eyes of God; he appretiates and estimates such a man as his peculiar treasure, which naturally and necessarily draws and spreads the wing of Divine care over him for his protection, Deuteron. 33. 12. The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him, and the Lord shall cover him all the day long. Things of greatest value are always kept in safest custody.
3. Upon whosoever the special love of God is se…, there all events and issues of troubles are sure to be over ruled to the eternal advantage of that Soul, Rom. 8. 28. Which consideration alone is sufficient to unsting all the troubles in the world, and make the beloved of the Lord shout and triumph in the midst of tribulations.
But let us enter yet further into this glorious Chamber of Divine love, and more particularly view the admirable properties thereof, though when all is done, it will be found a love passing knowledge; our thoughts may admire, but can never measure it.
1. And first you will find it an ancient love, whose spring is in eternity it self. Believer, God is thine ancient friend, who foresaw and loved thee, before thou, yea, before this world was in being; the fruits and effects thereof thou gatherest in time, but the root that produces them was before all times, Prov. 8. 22, 23. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. Thus was the love of God contriving, and providing the best of mercies in Christ for us; while as yet there were no such creatures in the world, nor a world prepared to receive us.
2 The love of God to his people is a free, and altogether undeserved love; it must needs be so seeing it prevented our very being, which had it not done, yet no motives had been found in us, to allure it to us more than others, Deut. 7. 7. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor chuse you, because ye were more in number than any people, (for ye were the fewest of all people) but because the Lord loved you. So that we cannot find one stone of our own merit in the foundation of this love; for those whom it embraceth in its arms are, Immerentes, & malè merentes, ill deserving as well as undeserving, we were loved of God, before we were lovely in our selves; it is freely pitched upon us, not purchased by us, Isa. 43. 24.
3. The love of God to Believers is a bountiful love, streaming forth continually mercies both innumerable and invaluable to their Souls and Bodies, 2 Pet. 1. 3. Christian, it would quickly weary thine arm, yea, let me say the arm of an Angel; but to write down the thousandth part of the mercies which have already flowed out of this precious fountain to thee; though all thou hast received, or shalt receive in this world, are but the beginnings of mercy, and first-fruits of the love of God to thee; 'tis the love of God which daily loads thee with benefits, as the expression is, Psal. 68. 19. And if thou art daily loaded with mercies, what an heap of mercies will the mercies of thy whole life be.
4. The love of God to believers is a distinguishing love, not the portion of all, no, nor yet of many besides thee, 1 Cor. 1. 26. The generality of the world dwell in the Room of common Providence, not in the Chamber of special love into which God hath admitted thee; this consideration should make thee break out in admiration, as it is, Iohn 14. 22. Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self to me, and not to the world.
5. The love of God to believers, is a love transcendent to all creature love, it moves in an higher Sphere than the love of any creature doth, Rom. 5. 6, 7, 8. We read of Iacob's love to Rachel, which is so celebrated in the Sacred story for the fervour of it, and yet all that it enabled him to suffer was but the Summers heat and the Winters cold; a trifle to what the love of Christ engaged, and enabled him to suffer for thy sake. We read also of the love of David to Absalom which made him wish, would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son. This love was only manifested in a wish, which haply might have been retracted too, had there been an exchange to be made indeed; but the life of Christ, wort… millions of his life, was actually and willingly staked down for thy Soul. We read of the love of one Disciple manifested to another Disciple in a cup of cold water; but Christ hath manifested his love to thee in pouring out his warmest heart bloud for thy redemption. Oh what a transcendent love is the Divine love!
6. To conclude, (though alas little is said of the love of God,) it is an everlasting and unchangeable love. Hills and moutains shall sooner start from their Bases, than his loving kindness depart from his people, Isa. 54. 10. Though he afflict us, still he loves us, Psal 89. 32, 33. Nay, though we grieve him, yet still he loves us, Mark 16. 7. Tell the Disciples, and tell Peter. Peter had grieved Christ, denied Christ, yet will he not renounce nor cast off Peter.
SECT. II.
WEll then, if God have opened to your Souls such a Chamber of love, where your Souls may be ravished with daily delights, as well as secured from danger and ruine: O that you would enter into it by Faith, and dwell for ever in the love of God! I mean, clear up your interest in it, and then solace your Souls in the delights of it. Need I to use an Argument, or spend one Motive to press you to enter into such an Heaven upon Earth? If the deadness of thy heart doth need it, take into consideration, Reader, these few that follow.
1. Motive. Ponder with thy self how sad and miserable the case will be with thee in the days of calamity and distress, if the love of God shall then be clouded to thy Soul; in those days such as love thee will either be absent from thee, or impotent to help thee, all thy friends and familiars may be removed far off, and whither then wilt thou turn should God be far off too? This was that evil which Ieremiah so vehemently deprecated, Chap. 17. v. 17. Be not a terrour unto me, thou art my hope in the day of evil. q. d. O Lord my Soul depends upon refreshment, and comfort from thee, when all the springs of earthly comfort are dried up. Shouldest thou be a te…rour to me in the day of evil, it will be the most terrible disappointment that ever befel my Soul; if thou be kind, I care not who be cruel if I have the love of God, I value not the hatred of men; but if God be a terrour, who or what can be a comforter? The love of God is the alone refuge to which the gracious Soul retreats upon all creature disappointments, and failings. This therefore is the main thing to be feared against the evil day.
2. Mot. The knowledge and assurance of the love of God is a mercy attainable by a gracious Soul, notwithstanding the imperfections of Grace. Peter had his falls and failings as well as other Christians, yet when Christ puts the question home to him, Ioh. 21. 15. Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these, he was able to return a clear positive answer; Yea, Lord thou knowest that I love thee. Study thy heart Christian, and study the Scriptures; if thou canst find the sincere love of God in thy heart, that Scripture will clear the love of God to thy Soul, 1 Iohn 4. 19. We love him because he first loved us. If thou lay thine hand upon a stone wall, and feel it warm, thou mayest conclude the Sun beams have shone upon it; for warmth is not naturally in dead stones. Our love to God is but the reflex beam of his love to us, and we know there can be no reflex without a direct beam. Thousands of Christians do at this day actually possess the ravishing sense of Divine love, whose fears and complaints have been the same that thine now are; that God who indulged this favour to them, can do as much for thee.
3. Mot. Think how well thou wilt be provided for the worst and difficultest times, when the love of of God shall be well secured to thy Soul; when the love of God, i. e. the sense of his love is once shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, which for that end, among others, is given unto us, we shall then be able to glory in tribulation, Rom. 5. 3, 5. We may then bid defiance to all the adverse powers of hell, and earth, and say, Now do your worst: we are out of your reach, and above all your terrors and affrights. Be advised then to sit close to this work: clear but this point once, and the worst is past. O lye at the feet of God night and day, give him no rest, take no denial from him, fill thy mouth with pleas and arguments; tell him, Lord, it is neither for Corn nor Wine that I seek thee, but only for thy love; bestow thy other gifts upon whom thou wilt, only seal up thy love to my soul.
And Lastly, I advise thee, Reader, to be exceeding careful, when God admits thee into the sense of his love, to shut the door behind thee, lest thy soul be soon expelled thence, by the subtlety of Satan, who envies nothing more, than such an happiness as this: that envious Spirit totally despairs of the least drop of such a mercy, and therefore swells with envy at thine enjoyment of it; but if ever thou fasten thy hand of faith upon this mercy, loose not thy hold by every objection with which he will rap thy fingers.
1. If he object the many sharp afflictions, and manifold rods of God upon thee, call not the Love of God in question for that; but remember what …he saith, Heb. 12. 6. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Fatherly Corrections are so far from being inconsistent with the love of God, that his love is rather questionable without them, than for them; they are love tokens, not marks of hatred.
2. Yield not up thy claim and title to the love of God, because he sometimes hides away his face from thee; thou knowest the sun is up, and going on in its regular course, in the darkest and closest day. My God, my God, saith Christ himself, Why hast thou forsaken me? believe he is still thy God, and his love immutable, when the sense and manifestations thereof do fail.
3. Call not the Love of God into question, because of thy great vileness and unworthiness; say not when thou most loathest thy self, God must needs loath thee too; he can love where thou loathest. Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee: what will ye see in the Shulamite? as it were the company of two armies. The Spouse was exceeding beautiful in the eyes of others, when most base and vile in her own: What would you see in the Shulamite? alas, there is nothing in me, at the best, but Conflicts, and Wars, betwixt Grace and Corruption, as it were betwixt two Armies, Cant. 6. 13.
4. Quit not thy claim to the Love of God, because he seems to shut out thy Prayers, and delays to answer the long continued desires and importunities of thy soul in some cases. David would neither censure his God, no nor call in question his interest in him, because of such a delay and silence, Psal. 22. 1, 2. My God, my God. The claim is doubled, ver. 1. and yet in the next breath he saith, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent.
Thus I have offered you some advice and assistance, how to secure your selves in these Divine Attributes, viz. The Power, Wisdom, Faithfulness, Unchangeableness, Care, and Love of God, as in so many Sanctuaries, and comfortable Refuges in the days of Common Calamity. It is noted even of the Egyptians, when the storm of Hail was coming upon the Land, Exod. 9. 20. He that feared the Word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses. Let not an Egyptian take more care of his Beasts, than Christians of their Souls. Stormy days are coming, God hath provided you a Refuge, and given you seasonable Praemonitions, and Calls from Heaven, to hasten into them, before Desolations come. The Lord help us to hear his Calls, and comply with them, which will be as much our Priviledge, as it is our Duty. And so much of the Fifth Proposition, viz. That God's Attributes, Promises, and Providences, are prepared for the security of his people in the greatest distresses that befal them in the world.