The olrject of love is God himself ; not merely as considered in himself, for so he is terrible to the creature, but as God in Christ, for so he will be known and respected by us in the gospel, and so we have the highest engagement to love him ; not only upon the respects of nature, as our Creator, but of grace, as our God and father in Christ. Now God is the supreme object of love, and other things are loved for God's sake, because of that of God which we find in them ; as his word, which is the copy of his holiness, his engraven image, as the coin bear- eth the image of the prince. So it is said, Ps. cxix. 47, * I will delight myself in thy commandments which I have loved.' And then his saints, which are his living image, as children resemble their lather ; so it is said, Ps. xvi. 3, ' To the saints, and to the excellent of the earth, in whom is my delight.' And then other men, because of his com- mand, 2 Peter i. 5, ' Add to brotherly kindness, love.' So his creatures, because in them we enjoy God, the effects of his bounty. But chiefly his ordinances, as they exhibit more of God than the creatures can. So that love respects God, and other things for God's sake.
Again, in the description I take notice of the essence or formal nature of it, and call it the return of a gracious and holy affection to God. Love is carried out to its object two ways — by desire and de- light. Our necessity and need of God is the ground of desire ; and our propriety and interest is the ground of delight. Desires are the feet of love, by which it runneth after its object ; and delight is the rest and contentment of the soul in the enjoyment of it. Because of our imperfect fruition in this life, love bewrayeth itself by desires mostly, or pursuing after God ; see Ps. Ixiii. 8, ' My heart followeth hard after thee.' It noteth those sallies and earnest egrressions of soul after the
74 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 2.
Lord, that we may have more communion and fellowship with him. In short, the radical (if I may so speak) and principal disposition of love is a desire of union ; for all other effects of love flow from it This it is that makes the soul to prize the ordinances, because God is. to be enjoyed there, and these are means of communion with him : Ps. xxvi. 8, ' I have loved the place where thine honour dwelleth.' This maketh sin terrible, because it separateth from God, Isa. lix. 2. This maketh heaven amiable ; the fairest part of our portion in heaven is a closer and nearer communion with Christ, Phil. i. 23. This maketh the day of judgment sweet, for then we shall ' meet with our beloved in the air,' 1 Thes. iv. 17. In short, this maketh the soul to take such contentment in thinking of God, and speaking of God ; it is the feast of the soul : * My meditation of him shall be sweet,' Ps. civ. 34. Their souls cannot have a greater solace than to think what a God they have in Christ.
Having in some manner described the love of God, let me use some arguments to press you to it.
First, God hath commanded it ; the sum of the law is love. When the scribe came to Christ, Mat. xxii. 36, ' Master, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said unto him, ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy might.' Mark, ' this is the first and great commandment,' to love God ; it is not a sour command, but sweet and profitable. God might have bur- dened us with other manner of precepts, considering his absolute right ; to ofter our chiklren in sacrifice, to mangle our flesh with whips and scourges ; but these are cruelties proper to the devil's worship. The Lord is a gentle master, and only desireth the love of his servants ; we have cause to thank him for such a gracious precept. If he should require us not to love him, this were hell itself; that is the hell of hell, that they which are there do not love God. It is our privilege as much as our duty. God loveth all his creatures, but hath com- manded none to love him again but man and angels ; so that it is the great privilege of the saints to love God. It had been a great favour if God had given us leave to love him ; as it would be a great favour if a king should give leave to one of his meanest subjects to have the key of his privy chamber, to come to him and visit him, and be familiar with him when he pleaseth ; how would this be talked of in the world ! Yet this is not so wonderful, since the king and the peasant are both men ; in their natural being they are equal, though in their civil dis- tinction and condition of life there be a difference. But what a favour is this, that he who is the ' King of kings, and Lord of lords,' doth not only permit his creature made by his own hands to come to him, and love him, and deal with him when he pleaseth, but hath expressly commanded it ! Nay, this is ' the great commandment.' Certainly God is very desirous of our love, when he layeth such an obligation upon us. Was there ever such a master, that made this to be his servants' chiefest duty, that they should love him ? Again, I observe in God's command that the precept runneth thus : ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.' The Lord would not lose one grain of the creature's love. Surely he valued it when he is so solicitous about it. If we