as the fairest day hath its clouds, the finest linen its spots, the richest jewels their flaws, the sweetest fruits their worms, so when precious Christians are under temptations, they may, and too often do envy and repine at those excellent graces, abilities, and excellencies that cloud, darken, and outshine their own. The best of men are too full of pride and self-love, and that makes them sometimes cast dirt and disgi-ace upon that excellency that themselves want, as that great man that could not write his own name, and yet called the liberal arts a public poison and pestilence.' There is no greater argument that our grace is true, and tbat we do love others for grace's sake, than our loving them best that have most grace, though they have least of worldly goods. A pearl is rich, if found on a dunghill, though it may glitter more when set in a ring of gold ; so many a poor believer is rich and glorious in the eye of Christ, and should be so in ours, though, like Job, he sits upon a dung- hill, though to the world he may seem to glister most when adorned with riches, honour, and outward pomp, &c.
(4.) The fourth property. Fourthly, True love to saints is constant: 1 Cor. xiii. 8, ' Love never faileth.' It continues for ever in heaven. That love was never true that is not constant. Heb. xiii. 1, 'Let brotherly love continue.' True love is constant in prosperity and adversity, in storms and calms, in health and sickness, in presence and in absence.^ ' Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not.' ' A friend,' says the wise man, ' loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,' Prov. xvii. 17. Prosperity makes friends, and adversity will try friends. A true friend is neither known in prosperity, nor hid in adversity.
True love is like to that of Ruth's to Naomi, and that of Jonathan's to David, permanent and constant. Many there be whose love to the saints is like Job's brooks. Job vi. 15, 16, which in winter when we have no need, overflows with tenders of service and shews of love ; but when the season is hot and dry, and the poor thirsty traveller stands in most need of water to refresh him, then the brooks are quite dried up. They are like the swallow that will stay by you in the summer, but fly from you in the winter.
It is observed by Joseph us of the Samaritans, that whenever the Jews' affairs prospered, they would be their friends, and profess much love to them ; but if the Jews were in trouble, and wanted their assistance, then they would not own them, nor have anything to do with them. This age is full of such Samaritans, yet, such as truly love will always love.* In the primitive times it was veiy much taken notice of by the very heathen, that in the depth of misery, when fathers and mothers forsook their children. Christians, otherwise strangers, stuck close to one another ; their love of religion, and one of another, proved firmer than that of nature. ' They seem to take away the sun out of the world,'
' Eusebiua speaks of him in his Ecclesiastical History. \^As hef<yre: Cf. Index. — G.]
' Consalus, a Spanish bishop and inquisitor, wondered how the Christians had that commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, so indelibly printed on their hearts, that no torture could blut it out, and make them confess and betray one another, or cease from loving one another. [Rather Consalvus or Gonsalvus Reginaldus, 1667. -G.]
* Augustus Caesar was a constant friend to those whom he loved ; he used to say, Amare nee cito detisto, nee temere incipio, late ere I love, as long ere I leave. [Samaritans : Antiq. b. ix. c. xiv. Bee. 3 : Cf. also xi. c. viii. sec. 6, and xii. c. v., and Sibbes, iii. p. 476.— G.]
Rom. VIII. 32-34.] heaven on earth. 487
said the orator, ' who taketh away friendship from the life of men/' and we do not more need fire and water than constant friendship.
Ninthly, That love that accompanies salvation, doth manifest and shew itself by working the soul to be quiet and still under Christ's re- bukes. Peter sits down quiet under a threefold reproof, ' Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee/ John xxi. 16-18. So Eli, ' It is the Lord, let him do what seems good in his own eyes/ 1 Sam. iii. 18. And Aaron 'held his peace,' when he saw the flames about his sons' ears, Lev. x. 3. So David, ' I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it,' Ps. xxxix. 9. The lovers of Christ are like the Scythian, that went naked in the snow ; and when Alexander wondered how he could endure it, he answered, ' I am all forehead.' Oh the lovers of Christ are all forehead, to bear the rebukes of the Lord Jesus.
The lovers of Christ know that all his rebukes are from love ; 'whom he loves, he rebukes,' Rev. iii. 19 ; they can see smiles through Christ's frowns ; they know, that to argue that Christ hates them because he rebukes them, is the devil's logic ; they know, that all the rebukes of Christ are in order to their internal and eternal good, and that quiets them ; they know that all the rebukes of Christ are but forerunners of some glorious manifestations of greater love to their souls. Ps. Ixxi. 20, 21, ' Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.' They know that it is the sorest judgment in the world, to go on freely in a way of sin without rebukes. ' Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone/ Hosea iv. 17. And therefore they keep silence before the Lord, they lay one hand upon their mouths, and the other upon their hearts, and so sit mute before the holy one.