VeR. 28.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VXU. 275
my soul thirsteth for God, yea for the living God ; when shall I come and appear before thee ? ' Naturalists tell us that the hart is a thirsty creature, especially when it hath eaten vipers ; they are inflamed thereby, and vehemently desire water. This emblem David chooseth to express his affection thereby, and his longings after God, and the means to enjoy God when he was in his troubles ; so the prophet Isaiah, Isa. xxvi. 9, ' With my soul have I desired thee in the night ; yea, with my spirit will I seek thee right early.' He speaketh this in the person of the church during the time of their troubles. When God's judgments are abroad in the earth, then they had continual thoughts of God, and their endeavours were early and earnest. At other times you will find the church flat, cold, and more indifferent as to the testimonies of his favour : Jer. ii. 31, 32, ' 0 generation, see ye the word of the Lord ; have I been a wilderness unto Israel ? a land of darkness ? Wherefore say my people, We are lords, we will come no more unto thee ? Can a maid forget her ornaments ? or a bride her attire ? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.' They had something whereon to live apart from God ; therefore afflictions are necessary to quicken these desires.
2ndly. The other affection whereby love bewrayeth itself is by a delight in God ; the cream of it is reserved for heaven, but now it is pleasing to think of God, if the soul be in good plight : Ps. civ. 34, ' My meditation of him shall be sweet, I will be glad in the Lord.' It is the solace of their hearts to entertain thoughts of God ; to speak of him and his gracious and wondrous works, is the contentment and pleasure of their souls : Eph. v. 4, ' Neither filthiness, nor foolish talk- ing, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks.' Tliere is their jesting, to draw nigh to him : Ps. cxxii. 1, ' I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord ! ' This is their heaven upon earth, to obey him and serve him: Ps. cxii, 1, 'Praise ye the Lord: blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments ! ' Now this delight is flagged, and we even grow weary of God and weary of well doing. We dote upon the world, and grow estranged from God and cold in his service, till we are quickened by sharp afflictions ; then we begin to mind God again, and a serious religiousness is revived in us. The hypocrites never mind God but in their troubles ; Job xxvii. 10, ' Will he always call upon God ? ' But the best saints need this help, and would grow dead and careless of God were it not for sharp corrosives. Well now, seeking after God and delighting in God being our great duties, we should observe how these are pro- moted by all the troubles that befall us.
276 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VUI. [SeR. XXXVIIL
SERMON XXXVIII.
To them that love God. — Rom. viii. 28.
Now we come to tlae character and notification of the persons to whom this great privilege doth belong. First, Their carriage towards God — To them that love God.
Doct. The elect are specified by this character, that they love God. Here I shall show you —
First, What is love to God.
Secondly, Why this is made the evidence of our interest.
1. What is love to God ? Love in the general is the complacency of the will in that which is apprehended to be good. The object is good, and love is a complacency ia it. The object must be good, for evil is the object of our displicency and aversation. And apprehended as good, for otherwise we may turn from good, as evil to us. Now love to God is the complacency of the will in God, as apprehended to be good. And therefore we must consider —
[1.1 The object.
[2.] The act.
[3.] The properties.
[1.] The object. We consider God as good. There is a double motive in the object to excite us to love God : because he is good, and doth good, Ps. cxix. 68, from his nature, and from his work.
1st. The excellency of his nature — he is good. There is a threefold goodness in God —
[1st.] His essential goodness, which is the infinite perfection of his nature.
[2dly.] His moral goodness and holiness, which is the infinite per- fection of his will.
[3dly.] His beneficial goodness, which is the infinite propension that is in him to do good to the creature. All these are the object of our love.
[1st.] His essential goodness should make him amiable to us ; partly because the glorious perfections of his nature are the object of our esteem, and esteem is the ground of love^ — we affect what we prize and value, or else we do not really esteem, prize, and value it ; and partly because they are the object of our praise — now we praise God for his excellences, to increase our love to him and delight in him; other- wise our praise is but an empty compliment ; and partly because the angels and blessed spirits do admire and adore God for the excellences of his nature, not only for the benefits they have received by him, but as he is an infinite and eternal being, of glorious and incomprehensible majesty ; they are represented as crying out, Isa. vi. 3, ' Holy 1 holy ! holy ! Lord God of Hosts ! ' Now God must in some measure be served on earth as he is in heaven. Surely we should not speak, or think, or worship the infinite eternal God, without some act of love, holy delight, and pleasure : Ps. cxlvii. 1, ' Praise ye the Lord ; for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is comely ; ' so Ps. xcv. 1, ' Come let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise