Use 2. Examination, whether you have gotten benefit by the gospel. Is God's love in you? Have you any fruits or feeling of his love? Can you say God loveth you ? All God's children cannot feel his love ; but have you the fruits of his love ? The feeling of his love is to be improved immediately to thankfulness, and the fruits of his love are to be improved by spiritual discourse to confidence. The present argument will afford us ground of search and inquiry.
1. Things without us are excluded, they can be no evidence or argument of God's love. It is love in them. It is the common error of the world to be led with false evidences. Many think God loveth them, because he spareth them, and followeth them witli long-suffering and patience, and maketh them thrive in the world, and blesseth them with the increase and fatness of an outward portion. Ay ! but love and hatred cannot be known by the things that are without us ; it must be something within us must discover it, Eccles. ix. 2. All things come alike to all. Some are fatted to destruction, and con- demned to worldly felicity, God will give them enough, Jer. xvii. 13.
140 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [SeR. XLIV.
' All that forsake thee, shall he ashamed ; and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.' Worldly happiness may be God's curse ; they shall be written in the earth, they shall have happiness here, that have none h^-eafter. On the other hand, there are some whose names are written in heaven ; and though they have little of outward com- forts, yet that is matter of joy : Luke ix. 20, ' Kather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.' We must have a better evidence than things without us before we can see our names in those eternal records, and be assured that God loves us. When God only gives things without you, it is a sign you are only hired servants. You have your reward, and are satisfied ; and when you die, your best days are at an end ; there is no inheritance kept for you ; as Abraham gave Ishmael and the rest of the sons of the concubines gifts and portions, but he reserved the inheritance for Isaac. This is so far from an evidence of love, that it is rather a sign of hatred, if your hearts are herewith satisfied. Nay, as it excludes and cuts off all outward things, so it cuts off all outward profession, as baptism and hearing of the word ; for where the heart is not washed, baptism is but the monu- ment of your unfaithfulness and breach of vows. And so for hearing of the word, it is but like Uriah's letters ; he thought they contained matter of preferment, but when opened, they contained matter of danger, for he was to be set in the fore-front of the battle to be destroyed. So when you think to come to God with these pleasing excuses, it is matter of condemnation, because you have heard so much, and profited nothing. Here is no evidence without you of the love of God.
2. Things within are excluded. There are some moral inclinations, mere instincts of nature, which God hath left in men out of his common bounty and pity to human society : Eom. ii. 14, 15, ' For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto them- selves, which show the work of the law written in their hearts.' These moral inclinations, by which we avoid gross sins, are not an evidence of God's love. Again, there are gifts for the use of the body. Hypo- crites may have a great share in them. Achitophel and Saul had excellent gifts ; but this is not an evidence of God's love. How did God love Christ ? Herein was a great evidence of God's love to Christ ; he loved him, and ' gave the Spirit to him without measure,' John iii. 33, 34. So we know his love by his Spirit, that he hath given to us to witness our justification, and to work our sanctification. The gift of the Spirit we may know by his witness, and by his work.
1. His witness. Hast thou a full testimony of thy adoption ? Kom. viii. 16, ' The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.' It is such a certainty as ariseth from gospel grounds, working joy and peace, stirring up to thankfulness and love to God, which you have in God's way, by praying, reading, hearing, meditating. I confess there is something lower, that may be called the witness of the Spirit. There are expressions and impressions. Have you not some secret impressions of confidence and liberty in prayer, and resolutions to wait upon God ? Doth he not stir you up to cry,
YeR. 26.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 141
Abba Father, put you upon often calling upon God, and waiting upon God ? There is something in your heart that carries you to God. These impressions are a kind of witness and testimony of the Spirit, though you have not those actual testimonies of God's favour.