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gave he liberty to become the children of God, even to as many as believe in his name.' (2.) Love to God : John xiv. 21, 'He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him;' and ver. 23, ' If any man love me, he will keep my words ; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.' We cannot perceive our interest in the special love of God but by our sincerity, faith in Christ, and love to God. When we see God's love taken in our hearts, we may know that he loveth us, especially the latter ; for by the latter the former is manifested also : Gal. v. 6, ' Faith worketh by love.' Now the evidences of sincere love to God are seeking after God and delighting in him ; if you cannot find the latter, the former will evi- dence it to you : Prov. viii. 17, ' I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me.' The desiderium unionis, the desir- ing, seeking love, if it be serious and earnest, it is sincere, though you find not such delightful apprehensions of his grace to you. Clear that once, and when you come to prayer, you may know God loveth you ; and the dearest friend we have in the world hath not the thousandth part so much as he : yea, the highest angel doth not love God so much as he loveth the lowest saint. God loveth like himself, becoming the greatness and infiniteness of liis own being ; and with this persuasion pray to him.
Secondly, The second ground of audience is from the fruit of his love, as demonstrated in the new covenant, wherein we have the matter of everlasting consolation. Surely this clause respects not the effect and sense in our own hearts, but respects the matter and object of our comfort ; for he prayeth for the application of it afterwards : ' Comfort your hearts,' &c. And besides, nothing is more fleeting and oftener interrupted than our comfort in this life. It would contradict plain sense to call that comfort which Christians feel, and actually enjoy, everlasting comfort. Therefore I understand it of the matter, and observe this doctrine : —
That God hath given all true believers solid ground of perpetual and endless comfort.
I will prove it by three arguments : —
1. The comforts propounded are of an everlasting tendency and benefit — pardon and life, to free us from everlasting death, and to bring us into the possession of everlasting happiness, when our souls and bodies shall be for ever glorified in heaven. Now the consolation grounded on the promise of eternal life, whatever it be in our feeling, is in its causes and foundation eternal. The scripture often insists upon this : 1 John ii. 25, ' And this is the promise that he hath pro- mised us, even eternal life;' Heb. v. 9, 'And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.' We have by Christ deliverance from sin, and all the consequents of it, not only for a time, but for ever ; eternal peace and felicity is our portion. So it is said, Ps. cxix. Ill, ' Thy testimonies have I taken for an heritage for ever ; for they are the rejoicing of my heart.' It is not an heritage to lean upon for a while, as all our worldly comforts are, but for ever : so Ps. Ixxiii. 26, ' God is my portion for ever ;'
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that is, when all other things foil, have spent their allowance, can afford us no more relief, then we begin to enjoy our true and proper portion. It were endless to heap up places. Man for his sin was cast out of paradise ; but surely in the other world there is no change of estate : for men are past their trial, and must be what they are for ever. If you could imagine (as some have had the large cliarity to conceit it) that tiie condition of tlie wicked should be changed, yet there is no reason at all why the state of the godly should be changed, who have passed the pikes, and are triumphing with God, that they should ever Jose tliat estate again.
2. They depend on everlasting foundations, such as are these : —
[1.] The everlasting love of God : Ps. ciii. 17, ' The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on them that fear him.' Not only from the beginning of the world to the end of the world, but from eternity to eternity. It was an ordinary form of praising God in the Old Testament : ' For his mercy endureth for ever.'
[2.] The everlasting merit of Christ, which never loseth its force and effect : Heb. ix. 12, ' He hath obtained eternal redemption for us.' Not that Christ is always propitiating. No ; the work was performed in a short time, but the virtue of it is of everlasting con- tinuance.