(2.) Love is another grace, and of chief regard in this place. Now I shall show you that love hath an unconquerable force and power in
400 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XLV.
itself, especially where it is accompanied with desire, hope, and delight, as it is in a sincere, gracious heart.
(1st.) There is an invincible force in love itself: Cant. viii. 6, 7, 'For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave; many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly contemned.' Love is of such a vehement nature that we cannot resist it and break the force of it, no more than we can resist death or fire ; nothing but the thing loved can quench or satisfy it. Such a vehement love is there kindled in the lieart of a believer towards Christ. It maketh such strong and mighty impressions on the heart, that they cannot endure any separation and divorce from Christ. No opposition can extinguish it, no other satisfaction can bribe it, and entice it away from Christ. No opposition can extinguish it ; if many waters cannot quench love, nor can floods drown it; waters will quench fire, but nothing can quench love. By waters in scripture are understood afiiictions, crosses, and seeming hard dealing from Christ — ' All his waves and billows have gone over me,' saith David. Now a sincere love doth so clasp about Christ, that no cross, no rod, nor the blackest dispensations can drive us from him ; neither sword, nor famine, nor pestilence. If all the floods of trial and opposition were let out upon it, it cannot quench love ; so, also, nothing can satisfy it. Nay, it rejecteth the ofi'ers of all enticing objects, which would intrude them- selves into Christ's room in the heart. There are two sorts of trials which carry away souls from Christ ; left-hand temptations, as crosses and afflictive evils ; and right-hand temptations, such as the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riclies, and voluptuous living. When the one sort of trials do not prevail, the other may. The thorny ground could endure the heat of the sun, but the good seed choked in it. But true love to Christ will be prevailed over by neither. If a man would give all the substance of his liouse, that is, all that can be given, to buy away a soul from Christ, it will not do ; all this proffer is utterly con- temned, with a holy disdain and indignation. No, all things are dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of our Lord, Phil. iii. 8, 9. All essays to cool it, or divert or draw it away, are fruitless. A slight love may be overcome, but a fervent strong love will not. It is a warm love to Christ which maintaineth his interest in the soul ; and then neither waters nor bribes, heights nor depths, advantages nor losses, preferments nor persecutions, will cool the believer's affection to Christ. He dare not entertain anything in Christ's room, nor slacken his love to him. No ; pleasures and riches and honours will not satisfy him ; and troubles and afiiictions will not discourage him. Thus a true and sincere love is unconquer- able, and will hold out against temptations on all hands.
(2dly.) This love to Christ is accompanied with desire, hope, and delight. So far as we want the thing wliich we love, there is desire ; and so far as it is likely to be obtained tliere is hope ; and so far as we enjoy the thing which we love, it is accompanied with delight. Now all these are to be found in the love of Christ ; and if they be high and strong, the believer overcomelh the violence of the temp- tation.
Vers. 36, 37.] sermons upon romans viii. 401
(1st.) It is not easy to draw off a man from his strongest desires. If a man's heart be set upon Christ, he must be with Christ for ever- more. What can separate him ? Will he be discouraged with tribu- lation or distress ? Nay, those inflame him. Shall he lose all that he hath longed for because of a little inconveniency to the flesh ? No ; Paul's groanings for Christ, and desires to be with the Lord, made him labour and strive and endure all the afilictions of the gospel, 2 Cor. V. 8, 9. Death itself may then be borne ; for it is but the key to open the prison door, and let out that soul that hath long desired to be with Christ, Phil. i. 23. Grafias agimus vobis, quod a molesiis dominis liberamur — you do them a favour to send them home to their dear Lord.
(2dly.) It is accompanied with hope ; they expect within a little while to have their desires accomplished. And will a soul that is at heaven's gates lose all that he hath waited for because the entrance is troublesome ? When men have crowded to any mask or show, and have waited long, they will not lose tlieir waiting, though they venture many a knock or broken pate to get in ; so when salvation is very near, will a christian give over his waiting, seeking, and striving for it ? Mat. xi. 12, ' Even from the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.'