484 SERMONS UrON I'SALM CXIX. [Sicu. CLVII.
a di'iivvn sword stood in liis way, as the angel stood with a drawn sword in Balaam's way : they had rather have all the world against them, than the word against them, Isa. Ixvi. 25. This aweful regard of the word of God it is a good evidence of our love to it.
(3.) Then we are said to love the word when we cheerfully and readily delight to do what it requireth in order to the glory of God and our own salvation : that is love ; for true love is not only notional, but practical: 1 John ii. 4, ' He that saith 1 know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.' Our love to God is known by our obedience to him ; so our love to the word is known by our obedience to it. And therefore we love the word in good earnest when we observe it readily and diligently, whatever it costs us : Rom. vi. 17, ' Ye have obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine that was delivered to you.' Look, as there is a cold love to a man's brother, when we say, Be clothed, be warmed ; so there is a pretended love to the word that endeth in talk, and not in action ; which is as if a man should hope to pay his debts by the noise of money, and instead of opening his purse to shut it ; as ridiculous it is to think to put off our duty with good words.
(4.) It is a rooted affection. A carnal man may have his affections moved, and be a little stirred with this pure doctrine, but he is soon put out of humour ; he is not changed by it, he hath not a constant affection to God and holy things : Gal. iv. 18, 'It is good to be zeal- ously affected always in a good thing;' to hold out to the end, and still to keep up a warm respect to the word of God. This is to love it, to have the word ingrafted into the stock of corrupt nature, James i. 21. It is not something tied on, but ingrafted into the soul ; it hath place in the heart.
2. Let me show you why.
[1.] The necessity of this love to the word appears because without this love we cannot be accepted of God ; unwilling and constrained service is of little acceptation with him : 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3, • If I should give my goods to the poor, and my body to be burnt, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.' If a man hath never so many excel- lencies, if he spend his goods and life and all for God, without this sincere love to God and his ways, all is nothing. God doth not value men by the pomp of their services, but by the affection of their hearts in them ; he needeth not the service, and he seeth the heart. A man is i)leased so his work be done willingly or unwillingly, for he needeth the labour of the slave ; but he seeth not into his heart ; but God hath no need of us, and he seeth whether we give him the heart or no. So that if we have not charity, all that we do is nothing.
[2.] Without this love your work will be very difficult, grievous, and irksome to you. It is love maketh all things pleasant and easy, and to go on roundly : 1 John v. 3, ' For this is the love of God, that Ave keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.' A love to the commands of God will make us do them with cheerful- ness. When a man loves God, it will be no grievous thing to serve him. It is said, Neh. iv. 6, 'That the building went on because the l)eople had a mind to the work.' The building of the temple was a difficult task, to remove the rubbish, and carry on such a vast piece
VeR. 140.] SERMONS UPOX PSALM CXIX. 485
of work ; but they had a mind to the work, and then it wont on. Love to anything makes it go on sweetly and cheerfully, as we use to say ; so in God's service, if we love the work, we cannot count it difficult.
[5.J You will never be constant with God without this love. An unwilling servant is ever running from his work, and he that hath not a heart fixed and set will find discouragement enough in heaven's way. They fell off that received not the truth in the love of it, 2 Thes. ii. 10. Fear hath compulsion in it, but it will not hold when the fear is worn off; but love is a lasting affection, when your hearts love holiness, and you love the work for the work's sake.
Third consideration. It is not enough to love the word, but we must look after the grounds and reasons of this love.
1. Because a true love to the word is not blind, but rational, and may be justified : Mat. xi. 19, 'Wisdom is justified of her children.' All that love God and his truth are able to plead for it. If you are not able to show your grounds and reasons for your love to the word, your love is but customary : Phil. i. 9, ' I pray that your love may abound in all knowledge and judgment.' Such a love and zeal is commendable as hath a proportionable measure of knowledge going along with it. When the spouse had spoken so much of her beloved, the question is propounded, Cant. v. 9, ' What is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost thus charge us ? ' Christians should be able to say what is their Christ, and what is the religion they do profess ; that there is more in their religion than in all religions in the w^orld.