Arts. 1. A particular persuasion of God's love to us is very com- fortable. Things that do most concern us do most affect us ; as a man is more pleased with legacies bequeathed to him by name, than left indefinitely to those who can make friends. If I can discern my name in God's testament, it is unquestionably more satisfactory and more engaging than when with much ado I must make out my title, and enter myself an heir : Bph. i. 13, 'After that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.' It is not sufficient to know tliat the gospel is a doctrine of salvation in general, or to others only, but every one should labour, by a due application of the promises of the gospel imto themselves, to find it a doctrine of salvation unto themselves. Salvation by Christ is a benefit which we need as much as others, and therefore should give all diligence to understand our part and interest in it. God's love to us is the great reason of our love to God ; ours a reflection ; the more direct the beam, the stronger the reflection. It is the quickening motive to the spiritual life, Gal. ii. 20. Certainly they are much to blame who can so contentedly sit down with the want thereof, so they may be well in the world ; if God will love them with a common love, so as they may live in peace, and credit, and mirth, and wealth among men. Our joy, comfort; and peace, much dependeth on the sense of our particular interest : Luke i. 46, ' My soul doth rejoice in God my saviour ; ' and Eom. v. 11, ' We rejoice in God, as those that have received the atonement.' It is uncomfortable to live in doubts and fears, or else to live by guess and uncertain conjectures. Well then, if we would maintain the joy of faith, the vigour of holiness, we should get our interest more clear.
2. It is not absolutely necessary ; because love is the fruit of faith, not of assurance only : Gal. v. 6, ' Faith working by love.' Love is not so grown indeed where there are fears and doubls of our condi- tion : 1 John iv. 18, ' He that feareth is not made perfect in love ; ' yet a love he hath to God. If love did wholly depend upon an actual persuasion of God's special love to us, it could never be rooted and grounded, for this actual persuasion is an uncertain thing, often interrujjted by the failings of God's children, and spiritual desertions, and frequent temptations. We do not sail to heaven with a like tide of comforts. Our evidences are many times dark, doubtful, and
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litigious, but the grounds of faith are always clear, fixed, and stable ; and therefore the serious christian may make a shift to love Christ, though he doth not know that he loveth him with a special love, so as to be absolutely assured of it ; he is not so necessarily a comforter, as a sanctifier. And though he doth not fill us with joy, yet he may work a strong and earnest love in our hearts, which is as much seen in unutterable groans as in unspeakable joys. Love is one of our greatest evidences, and therefore goeth before assurance, rather than lolloweth after it : and assurance is rather the fruit of love, than love of assurance : see John xiv. 21-23, ' He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father ; and I will love him, and manifest myself unto him. If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.' It is because we love God so little that we want the fruits of his manifested love. So that you must not cease to love God, before you are assured of his love to you ; but you must love him sincerely and strongly, and then you will know God loveth you. In the love of benevolence, God beginneth ; but as to complacency, the object must be qualified. We must have a good measure of grace before we can so clearly discern it as to be certain of it.
3. There are many considerations which are proper to our state. Every one of us have cause enough to love God, if we have but hearts to love him, not only as he created us out of nothing, but as he redeemed us by Christ. Cannot I bless God for Christ, without reflec- tion on my own particular benefit ; his general love in sending a saviour for mankind ? John iii. 16, ' God so loved the world, that he sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that whosoever believed in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life : ' as they reasoned, Luke vii. 5, ' He loved our nation, and hath built us a synagogue ; ' few (lid enjoy the benefit of it, but it was love to the nation of the Jews. So his philanthropy, his man-kindness, should put that home upon us, that there is a sufficient foundation for the truth of this proposition, that whosoever believeth shall be saved ; that Christ is an all-sufficient saviour, to deliver me from wrath, and to bring me to everlasting life ; that such a doctrine is published in our borders, wherein God declareth his pleasure, that he is willing all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Tim. ii. 3 ; that the door is wide enough, if you will get in ; and if you have no interest, you may have an interest, We must not think that general grace is no grace. The life of Chris- tianity lieth in the consideration of these things. In the free offers of grace all have a like favour ; and none have cause to murmur, but all to give thanks. All that God looketh for is a thankful acceptance of the grace made for us in Christ. Surely when w^e think of God's good- ness and kind-heartedness to miserable and unworthy sinners, and do often and seriously think what he is in himself, and what he is to you, what he hath done for you, and what he will more do for you, if you will but consent, and accept of his grace, such serious thoughts cannot but warm your hearts, and through the Lord's blessing, awaken in you a great love to God. In short, the love of God shed abroad in the gospel is the great and powerful object that must be meditated upon ;