(3.) Eternal life and glory : 1 John iii. 1, 2, ' Behold what manner of love the Father hath showed us, that we should be called the sons of God. It doth not appear what we shall be ; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' This is the end of all ; for this Christ died, and for this we believe, and hope, and labour, even for that happy estate, when we shall be brought nigh God, and be companions of the holy angels, and for ever behold our glorified Redeemer, and see our own nature united to the Godhead, and have the greatest and nearest intuition and fruition of God that we are capable of, and live in the fullest love to him, and delight in him ; and the soul shall for ever dwell in a glorified body, that shall be no clog, but an help to it ; and be no more troubled with infirmities, necessities, and diseases, but for ever be at rest with the- Lord, lauding his name to all eternity. Now shall all this be done for us ? and. shall we not love Christ ? Certainly if there be faith to believe this, there will be love ; and if there be love, there will be obedience, be it never so tedious and irksome to our natural hearts.
2. The strength of love ariseth from the manner, how it is considered by us and applied to us.
(1.) Partly, by faith ; (2.) Partly, by meditation ; and (3.) Partly, by the Bpirit.
[1.] Faith. Nothing else will enkindle, and blow up this holy fire of love in our hearts, for affection followeth persuasion. Till we believe these things, we cannot be affected with them. To a carnal, natural heart, the gospel is but as a fine speculation, or a well-contrived fable, or a dream of a shower of rubies falling out of the clouds in a night ; but faith, or a firm persuasion, that affecteth the heart, and therefore the apostle speaketh of faith working by love. Gal. v. 6. Faith reporteth to the soul, and filleth the soul with the apprehensions of God's love in Christ, and then maketli use of the strength and sweetness of it, to carry forth all acts of obedience to God.
[2.] By meditation. The most excellent things do not work if they be not seriously thought of. Aifections are stirred up in us by the inculcation of the thoughts, as by the beating of the steel upon the flint the sparks fly out : as the apostle persuadeth to this : Eph. iii. 17, 18, ' That ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able with all saints to comprehend what is the height, and depth, and length of the love of God in Christ, and may know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge ! ' This is the blessed employment of the saints, that they may live in the consideration and admiration of this wonder- ful love, that so they may ever keep themselves in the love of Chiist.
V"ER. 14.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 149
Nothing exciteth us to onr duty so much as this ; therefore we shouhl not content ourselves with a superficial view of it, but dwell upon it in our thoughts. It is our narrow thoughts, our shallow apprehensions of God's love in Christ, our cold and unfrequent meditation of it, which maketh us so barren and unfruitful as we are.
[3.] The Spirit maketh all effectual. The gospel containeth the matter ; meditation is the means to improve it ; but if it be an act of the human spirit only, it aftecteth us not ; the thoughts raised in us by bare and dry reason are not so lively as those raised in us by faith, that puts a life into all our notions. Now the acts of faith are not so forcible as when the Spirit of God sheddeth abroad this love in our souls, Eom. v. 5. We must use the gospel, must use reason, must use faith, in meditation on the love of Cln-ist, but we must beg the effectual operation of the Holy Ghost, who giveth us a taste and feel- ing of this love, and most thankfully to entertain it.
Use. It showeth us how we should excite and rouse up ourselves in every duty, especially in those that are difficult and displeasing to the flesh. The apostle Paul endured prisons, stripes, reproaches, disgraces, yea, death itself, out of the unconquerable force of love. Therefore, if you have any great thing to do for God, and would work to the pur- jDOse, let faith by the Spirit set love a-work. Faith is needful, the work of redemption being long since over, and our Lord is absent, and our rewards future ; and love is necessary Ijecause difficulties are great, and oppositions many. The flesh would fain be pleased ; but when faith telleth love, what great things God hath done for us in Christ, the soul is ashamed when it cannot deny a little ease, pleasure or profit.
SERMON XXIV.
For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then ivcre all dead. — 2 Cor. v. 14.